UoP to shield researchers from 'parasites' with tech

The University of Pune (UoP) has proposed a special hostel building for research scholars that will have an access control system installed at the entrance to keep out "parasites", a campus term for students staying illegally in hostels.u00a0The male students' hostels today overflow with illegal residents, and the UoP administration is hopeful that in the near future all hostel buildings on campus will be equipped with the advanced system to keep out such "parasites".u00a0

Rooms for 200
The new hostel will accommodate 200 students and the construction is scheduled to start in two months. Currently, the approved intake for the women's hostel is 1,122 and for the men's it is 1,067, but sources in the UoP say the eight men's hostel buildings have around 2,000 students residing illegally in the rooms.

"For doing research, privacy and a pleasant atmosphere is required in the hostel and that's why we will be installing a special access control system
at the hostel entrance itself," executive engineer of the UoP estate department V Patil said. "With this system, students will get entry into the hostel only after confirming their thumb impression."

Making a start
This will be the first hostel on campus which will have advanced systems to confirm a student's identity.u00a0"Along with the thumb impression, we are also thinking of having an automated system which will have specially designed glass doors and allow only authorised students to enter," UoP hostel rector Dr B R Shejwal said.

For all future hostels
Admitting the problem of illegal residents in men's hostels, Shejwal said in the next phase all hostel buildings would be equipped with the advanced access control system.u00a0"Right now, we don't have mechanism to restrict parasites," Shejwal said. "Hostel security is also insufficient to prohibit it. So in the near future our stress will be on the automated system."

A student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said illegal residents was an unpleasant reality which the authorities had not been able to do anything about so far.u00a0"In my room, we are four people," the student said. "Though it is not permitted, unfortunately it's a common practice here and no one can complain against parasites."u00a0Currently, Hostel Number 5 is reserved for MPhil and Phd students and it can accommodate 120 persons. The new hostel will accommodate another 200 Phd students.

CCTV check
The UoP recently installed 12 CCTV cameras in eight women's hostel buildings on the campus. Hostel rector Dr B R Shejwal said that soon a similar number of CCTV cameras would be placed in the men's hostels on campus as well to check the practice of illegal residents staying at these facilities.u00a0