Mumbai: Over 100 international students at Mumbai University's (MU) Kalina campus are struggling to pay more than ₹30,000 per month in house rent as they await the opening of the new hostel, which has been delayed for two years.
Hostel Building Remains Unused
The hostel, inaugurated in July 2022, remains unused due to unfinished interior work. Despite receiving an occupancy certificate, the university has yet to open the hostel for admission.
"I spend ₹35,000 on rent every month for a house near the Kalina campus. Food is also expensive in the area. This is my last semester, and I had hoped to stay in the hostel when I joined, but now I don't even have that hope," said an international student pursuing post-graduation.
The annual hostel fee, excluding food, is not more than ₹50,000, according to students. "Travelling by autorickshaw from Khar to campus every day is a waste of time, hectic and stressful. I need the hostel facility to focus on my studies," another international student said.
"I was offered a hostel facility in Churchgate, but travelling to Kalina campus every day is dreadful for me, so I chose to stay closer to my college," added the student.
The new hostel aims to provide accommodation for international students after the closure of the old international students' hostel in Churchgate. The six-floor hostel has a capacity to house 146 students and is equipped with modern facilities.
Request To Vice Chancellor
Students said that they had sent a letter to Vice-Chancellor Ravindra Kulkarni last year with demands of swift action from the university administration, highlighting the financial and temporal relief an operational hostel would bring.
University officials claim preparations for the hostel's opening are underway, and it will open soon.
Students from outside the city are also demanding rooms in the international hostels.
"There is no reservation for five-year law students in any of MU's hostels, so we are not getting accommodation. If the university does not have adequate international students, it should be opened for law students who are struggling for accommodation in the city," said Aman Shani, a student from Pune pursuing law at MU.
According to MU records, there are currently 101 foreign students pursuing education at MU and its affiliated colleges, with only 75 seeking hostel accommodation.
The Indian Express had also reported that workers from the contractor's building were seen staying in the empty structure, and the parking facility is being used to park private vehicles, including an autorickshaw, indicating a lack of security measures.
