Category: Chief Warden's Column

Short and Sweet!

A week when a large chunk of the NITR populace had gone back home and the Institute had taken on a virtually inactive look, the Chief Warden was busy deciding on the final formalities regarding the bus services and solving some major Hall issues. He takes out his time for MM and gives us an insight into what new changes we can see in the remaining leg of this semester. An excerpt:

MM: What about the bus services? Last time we asked you about it, the bus had some registration problems. Have they been sorted out? Can we finally see the bus running in this semester?
CW: The bus is now in the garage. As per the RTO norms, it should be painted yellow, the windows should have iron grills, there should be written ‘school bus’ on the front and the back side, then only we can run the bus. To cater to all these formalities it takes time. We had given the bus last week only but these Holi vacations delayed things. It will be ready, most probably, by Monday or Tuesday. Then there will be registration and after having a discussion with the Director, it will be running very soon after the completion of all the formalities. I hope it will start from 7th April. There will be very nominal charges for the bus service. The route has been decided and the discussions are on.

MM: We had recommended about having Maintenance representatives from each block of the hostels, especially the large ones like VS Hall. Kindly throw some light when is it going to be implemented?
CW: That will be implemented soon. But we are also working on something else. According to the norms, a Hall Elected Council (HEC) is there in each hall. But suppose the HEC isn’t functioning properly or maybe it is involved in some mischievous activity, then? So, we have decided that we will be having atleast one General Body Meeting (GBM) in each semester. It will consist of atleast 10 prefects from each block of a particular Hall so that maintenance is not jeopardised. Also, the performance of the HEC will be reviewed there. Satish Dhawan Hall already did this and their HEC was dissolved as we had found some problems with it. On Monday, I will call a meeting to select the representatives not only for VS Hall but in all the halls, and let us see how it works. Previously, only B.Tech students were there, so during the vacation there was no need of any maintenance, but now as the research scholars are staying in all the halls, the mess has to run throughout the year, the maintenance is to be done regularly. Thus, more representatives are required.


MM:  We also heard of some new food outlet near VS hall. How far is it true?
CW:  Yes, it is true. But it will for the newly opened Suruchi bakery. As Suruchi is running on a temporary basis in the new mess, it cannot work there for long. We are planning to open a new and permanent food outlet near the cycle stand, which will be certainly a kind of restaurant where many different food items will be provided. The areas near VS hall will be developed soon for the purpose.


MM: Suruchi has been a great success till now. Will there be any such initiative for the other halls too?
CW: I am happy that you liked Suruchi. For other halls too, it has been decided that from now on there will be one night canteen, one fruit juice centre (pure fruit juice and dry snacks and maybe some other food items like Maggi etc.) and one Xerox cum stationery shop. The stationery shop will cater to photocopies, stationery items, SIM card facilities etc. But, CV Raman Hall will have one extra store to cater to the ladies’ special necessities. The advertisements will be out soon for these and we hope to see these new setups up and running within 2-3 months.


MM: CVR’s mess has only one food counter. It causes havoc for more than 850 odd residents of the hall. There have been repeated complaints about this but no action has been taken yet. How and when the problem will catch the attention of the authority?
CW: There will be only one mess, but the number of counters can be increased. I have told them to make three counters and also showed them the suitable place for it, and if it is not done yet I have to check it once again. I will ask Mr. B.B. Rath, who heads the Food and Hygiene Committee, to visit CVR during lunch time and to see what exact problems are the boarders are facing, so that we can cater to their requirements properly.

I would also like to make a special announcement through Monday Morning. The date for the institute farewell has been decided on 12th April. So, I would like all of you to make your plans, if you have any, accordingly!

Category: Chief Warden's Column

Hope Revived

The semester might be approaching an end; but in an institute this big there never lays a week without some concerning issues and this week is certainly no different. From the new eatery centre in VS hall to water scarcity, broken taps and late bus services -find all your queries answered right from the Chief Warden's tongue.

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Category: Chief Warden's Column

Changes on the Make

Finally the Chief Warden has agreed to make changes, look into issues, pay visits to realise the “ground zero” situation.  We all hope that the promises are honest and provide some relief to the boarders. Moreover there are new and exciting plans for the students which is expected to help students enjoy their time here.

MM: The water problem has resurfaced once again since the last 5-6 days in almost all the halls. What is the cause? Will any steps be taken for solving this?
CW: I was unaware of this crisis. Nobody has informed me anything about this to me till now. A water problem in the winter season is a strange thing to hear. I will talk with the engineers and personnel who are in charge of the water supply to the halls. It needs to be decided whether it is a temporary technical problem or a permanent one. 

MM: The mess time for almost all IITs has been confirmed to be 8pm-10pm. Why has the institute developed the culture of imitating rules from other national institutes without any analysis? Isn't it unfair to imply rules that are not in favour of the students?
CW: It is not that we copy rules without analysis. When I was in Delhi University, the dinner time started at 7pm. (But after realizing it was some 20 years ago) But since culture has changed, so the time also needs a change. Now that most IITs are having such timings, I will talk with Director Sir and try to extend the timings till 10pm. I will also make sure that the caterers are not uncomfortable with the timings as their workers will have to work longer. 

MM: When will the gym and reading room of VS Hall be ready?
CW: The gymnasium will definitely take some time. A new television that had been supplied to the VS Hall has not been installed yet. I wonder why no one is taking up the initiative for that. As far as I know, newspapers and magazines are coming to the Hall regularly. If chairs and furniture are required they can be immediately provided on request. The proposal for a reading room and a gym for the VS Hall were submitted just a few days back. The tentative expenditure for these amounts to greater than one lakh. There are also proposals for a gym in GD Birla Hall and CVR Hall. All these proposals combined amount to a huge expenditure of around 10 lakhs. Necessary planning and orders from the Director are required for this. I am taking all these files to the Director on Monday. 

MM: There are plans to take the students out for recreation for which NIT has also bought a new bus. Can you please elaborate?
CW: Yes, we have been getting requests from the students since quite some time to take them out for recreation. We had a bus to take students on study tour. But now we have bought a 40-seater bus exclusively for this purpose.  The registration and other paper work will take some time. We also need permission from Regional Transport Office for the usage and as soon as we get the permission we will start the service, which is expected to roll out in a week's time. 

MM: You had assured us of looking into the washing machine issue- an issue in which names were not being registered, by washing machine in-charge? What actions have you taken?
CW: I talked with the warden and assistant warden of MV hall and conveyed the issue to them. I have also talked with the caretaker, who agreed to the allegations. He mentioned that due to extreme work pressure, the register could not be maintained properly. But the register is being suitably maintained now and I have planned to go on a surprise visit after few days to check whether registers are being taken care of or not.

MM: What action have you planned to take regarding the unmaintained and uninstalled geysers in different halls?
CW: I saw the pictures on the MM site and I was surprised to see them. Wardens must coordinate properly to avoid such problems. After the geysers are supplied, it is the duty of the Warden and Assistant Wardens to install the geysers at the right place. Whenever I have asked the wardens about the number of geysers which are fit to use, the answers always came as "almost all". So it has not been possible for me to know what the situation is. However in an attempt to know what problems the students are facing, I will pay a visit on Sunday to VS hall. I will also cross check the number of supplied and installed geysers. 

MM: Why are there no street lights along the road that runs behind MSS hall towards VS hall?
CW: I don’t know but I think some construction regarding this is going on like erection of electric poles etc. I will talk to the director regarding this issue and let you know by the next meeting. 

Category: Chief Warden's Column

Chief Warden’s views – consents and contradictions

Geysers, Washing Machines, Strict Mess time, Night Canteen time disagreement; if these are the serious issues that you had in your mind and didn't have an answer; then MM brings to you the answers from Chief Warden. Finding time amidst the Xth convocation, here is the Prof. K. C. Pati, answering some pretty serious issues, clearing some doubts, giving hopes and skirting away rumours. 

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