Dint close hostels or vacated students: Cyberabad Hostel owners

Hyderabad: Various hostel owners in Cyberabad under the Cyberabad Hostel Owners' Association, informed the media on Thursday that reports of students and working professionals being asked to vacate the hostels, in light of the lockdown due to Corona virus, are false. On Wednesday, chaos ensued as long lines of students were seen in front of police stations at KPHB, Madhapur, Kushaiguda, SR Nagar, and other areas asking for permission to go back to their native places.

"We had never said anything about closing the hostels and the PGs. There is no truth in reports of hostel owners forcefully asking residents to leave. Please do not believe in such rumours,” said the members of the association.

“As per the government’s orders, the hostels will remain open and the residents will be provided with all facilities so that they can continue to work from the hostels. The parents of students staying in the hostels need not worry. There are more than 500 hostels in Madhapur, Hi-Tech City, Gachibowli, IT Corridor, Kondapur, and Gopanpallly IT zone areas. Around four lakh IT employees, both Indians and foreigners, reside there,” they said.

One of the hostel owners said they themselves are dependent on the rents from these hostels so there is no question of asking people to vacate. "I hope the government supports the hostel owners' association. We will provide all our hostel members the usual facilities and hope that all those who have left the hostels return soon. No matter how many people there were, we made sure we served them. We request the government to ensure the supply of water, vegetables, and groceries," the hostel owner said.

Another said, "We will run the hostels as usual. We did not force the residents to leave and the allegations are all false. Most people left after the government declared work from home. We don't know when they will come back. We appeal to the government to understand our problem and support us."

Many hostel owners echoed the same and urged the government to give them full support such as permitting tankers to supply water to them and so on. The hostel owners said that many have vacated their rooms on their own accord after orders to work from home came from their organisations. "Ever since the work from home announcement, many brought letters from their organisations allowing them to go back home. But they never informed us when they will leave. We never said we will not provide food or close down the hostels and never asked them to vacate. They spread the news and gave wrong information to their families. Now that they have reached the borders amidst the lockdown, they say the police have given them NOC to leave, which is false," said another hostel owner.