Delhi students forced to 'chill out'

Most hostels prohibit them from using heating appliances

Most hostels prohibit them from using heating appliances

Students staying in hostels of some of the NCR's major universities will shiver more this winter. For they have been barred from using heating appliances like heaters and blowers in their rooms.

As the students are returning to their universities after winter break, the hostel wardens have started checking their luggage for such prohibited appliances. Sources say that the university authorities are taking such steps to cut down on soaring electricity bills due to the large scale use of such appliances by the students.

One such surprise check was witnessed at the Amity University's H-6 hostel on Tuesday during which electrical appliances like room heaters, blowers and kettles were seized and students fined for using the same.

Such appliances are prohibited in JNU too and even here students are fined if found using them. There were also reports that JNU might charge students for electricity consumption and for that the authorities had started installing electricity meters.

Clarifying that no decision has been taken by the university regarding charging students for electricity consumption in the hostels, the University authorities maintained that the installation of electricity meters in Koyna hostel was nothing new as two other hostels, Married Research Students Hostel and Yamuna hostel also have the meters. "The electricity meters are being installed to record the consumption. But yes electricity bill does go up when students use such electric appliances," said senior official of JNU.

Students meanwhile are finding innovative ways to beat this ban. "It is obvious that when you return from home, you bring along such electric appliances. So before coming to hostel, we leave them with our day scholar friends. For some days we have to bear the chill but later no one checks," said a MA final year student of JNU who is staying at Jhelum hostel.u00a0

No relief in coming days

It was a bone-chilling morning for Delhiites yesterday as the mercury plummeted to the season's lowest of 3.7 degree Celsius. The maximum temperature settled at 14.7 degree Celsius, six degrees below normal and the same as recorded yesterday. "The minimum was recorded at 3.7 degree Celsius, which is the lowest this season. The temperature was three degrees below normal," a Met Department official said.
The minimum temperature dropped by over 4 degrees from yesterday's low of 8.2 degree Celsius. Icy winds blowing across the city for the past several days added to the chill and so far two cold-related deaths have been reported in the city since December 26.
There will be no relief from the biting chill as the weatherman hasu00a0 predicted that the "cold day conditions" will prevail tomorrow with the mercury oscillating between four and 15 degree Celsius. Last year, January recorded the lowest minimum of 5.6 degrees Celsius in the first week itself. According to MeT Dept statistics, the record for the highest maximum for the month of January was 32.5 degree Celsius recorded on the 28th of the year 2004. The record minimum was -0.6 degree Celsius recorded on 16th in the year 1935. In the last decade, only last year, the minimum temperature did not drop below five degrees Celsius. In 2006, the minimum dropped to 0.2 degrees on January 8 while two years later, the lowest minimum was 1.9 degrees on 2nd of the month. The mean minimum for the month of January is 7.3 degree Celsius while the mean maximum is 21.1 degrees.