Kirori Mal College, affiliated to Delhi University, being Sixty-five years old, the internal building committee is planning to establish women’s hostel within the campus for the first time. However, the college is finding a hard time to raise funds for the same.
According to principal Dr. Vibha Singh Chauhan, while college authorities are planning to construct a four-story hostel building with a capacity for 250 students, they hope to get a two-story hostel functioning within two years.
Apart from approaching bodies such as the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Union Human Resource Development Ministry, the college is planning to raise the requisite funds by approaching its alumni network, among other means.
“We have marked out a space on campus for the hostel. We are looking at funds to the tune of Rs 10 crore, but we don’t have the amount. There is another round of internal clearance, after which we will begin raising funds,” said Dr. Chauhan.
“What we are planning to do is begin construction with the funds we get, and build a structure with a foundation strong enough to support vertical expansion in future, so we can construct the planned four story’s later,” she added.
Currently, the college has a men’s hostel with a capacity for 300 students. The college has a total student strength of approximately 5,000, of which roughly half are women.
Authorities found that three-fourths of its students come from outside Delhi, which made the need for women’s accommodation more urgent.
“There is also a need for expanding our capacity to accommodate men on campus, but our current priority is the women’s hostel,” she said.
Colleges in Delhi University which have women’s hostels include St Stephen’s, Lady Shri Ram, Miranda House, Ramjas, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Khalsa College, Sri Venkateswara, Indraparastha and Daulat Ram.