Gaya: Facing an acute shortage of accommodation for medical students, the Anugrah Narain Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH) in Gaya has initiated repairs of two abandoned hostels to make them habitable. The hostels, which can house over 100 students, had earlier been declared unsafe due to structural vulnerabilities, damaged doors and windows, unusable toilets and faulty electrical systems.
Repair Work Underway
ANMMCH principal Dr Lata Shukla Dwivedi said, “The repair work has been taken up to accommodate undergraduate students who are currently forced to stay outside due to lack of hostel facilities. At present, students from three batches—2023, 2024 and 2025—are facing severe accommodation constraints, while a new batch for 2026 is expected to arrive in the coming months. Had NEET not been cancelled earlier, the incoming batch would already have joined, worsening the crisis further.”
Student Protests Prompt Action
The move comes shortly after students staged protests and disrupted academic activities, highlighting multiple issues, including hostel unavailability, stray cattle and dog menace within the campus, and illegal occupation of a hostel meant for undergraduate students.
The principal admitted that even after renovation, the hostels may not offer comfortable living conditions. “This is only a stop-gap arrangement. The students will eventually be shifted to newly constructed hostels,” she said, adding that the matter had been discussed with health secretary Kumar Ravi, and the state government was committed to building new hostel facilities, though the process would take time.
Other Demands Being Addressed
Dwivedi also said other student demands, such as better internal roads, improved lighting and sanitation within the campus, were being addressed. Municipal commissioner Abhishek Palasia has assured installation of street lights and placement of sufficient dustbins in the student areas.
Eviction of Illegal Occupants
On the issue of illegal occupants, the principal said police assistance had been sought for eviction. “Once police support is available, the hostels will be freed from intruders,” she added.
However, Magadh Medical College police station SHO Krishna Kumar pointed out that evictions cannot be carried out arbitrarily and must follow due legal procedure, placing responsibility on the college authorities to initiate the process.
Managerial Lapses Criticized
Meanwhile, senior administrative officials expressed resentment over what they termed repeated managerial lapses by the college administration. “Encroachments are allowed to develop and later the administration is expected to resolve the issue. This cycle has been repeated several times,” an official said.
