Pune: Drunken Parties at PMC’s Ambedkar Hostel Disrupt Studious Environment

Pune, 12th July 2024: It has come to light that some students living in the Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Student Hostel on Ghole Road, managed by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), have indulged in drunken parties. As a result, studious students are suffering due to the increasing indiscipline in the hostel, compounded by non-functional CCTV cameras and an inefficient security system.

Students from all corners of Maharashtra come to Pune for education. Since poor and backward-class students cannot afford the cost of living in Pune, PMC has built a large hostel with 108 rooms on Ghole Road, accommodating 400 people.

Students receive financial support through free accommodation in the central part of Pune City. Additionally, Rs. 2,150 per month is directly deposited into their bank accounts by PMC. Students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and those with an Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificate are admitted to this hostel.

These students are expected to leave the hostel after completing their course. However, after completing one degree, admission to another degree or postgraduate course is not allowed, necessitating their departure from the hostel.

It has come to light that alcohol parties are being held in the hostel, despite PMC providing free accommodation and covering food expenses. During a raid conducted by the PMC team, liquor bottles, cigarette packets, and tobacco pouches were found. Following this incident, the Social Development Department expelled 14 students from the hostel and requested seven additional security guards from the Security Department.

Nitin Udas, Deputy Commissioner of the Social Development Department, said, “Drinking has come to light in the PMC hostel. As a result, 14 students have been removed from the hostel. There is one security guard per shift; now more security guards will be appointed. Additionally, random checks will be conducted in the hostels from now on.”