Cotton University in Guwahati to dismantle old hostel buildings

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: All old and heritage hostel buildings in Cotton University (CU) will be dismantled to construct modern hostels on the lines of top institutions like the IITs and IIMs.

A senior faculty associated with the administration of CU said that students and their parents feel that the old hostel buildings of the university are not safe. He said that the number of boarders in CU has sharply declined due to the deteriorating condition of the old buildings of the university hostels.

"So, the varsity authorities will dismantle the old buildings of the hostels in phased manner. The new hostels will have all the modern facilities to attract boarders," added the faculty member.

Vice Chancellor of CU, Professor Bhabesh Chandra Goswami recently thanked the DoNER Ministry and also the North Eastern Council (NEC) for providing funds to build a modern boys hostel at the university. He said that besides the boys' hotel, a girls' hostel will also be constructed at a cost of Rs 6 crore provided by the NEC. Construction of both the hostels is expected to be completed by 2022.

There are more than 10 hostels in CU. Majority of the hostels were constructed before the country's Independence of India in 1947.

However, many senior citizens and former Cottonians have expressed concern over the CU's move to dismantle the heritage hostels.

"Many prominent personalities of Assam, including Dr Bhupen Hazarika, filmmaker late Bhabendra Nath Saikia, Chandrayaan-I principal scientist Jitendranath Goswami and litterateur Homen Borgohain had stayed in hostels of CU (then known as 'Cotton College').

"All those memories will be erased forever once the modern hostel buildings are constructed by dismantling the old but heritages ones," said Dibyajyoti Bordoloi, a former Cottonian who stayed at Swahid Ranjit Borpujari hostel.

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