IIT Tirupati students grumble about basic amenities, authorities seek time

IIT Tirupati is one of the two new IITs that started in 2015. It is operating out of a transit campus at the moment in Tirupati, so having a few issues with amenities are expected. Yet, students in IIT Tirupati have quite a few things to grumble. The authorities are considering all possible steps to solve these issues.

Lack of Wi-Fi in the hostels is a major concern for students at IIT Tirupati. “Wi-Fi is available in the academic building but not in the hostels. It is an inconvenience to work after college hours” said one of the students who did not wish to be named. He also added that they had spoken to the professor in-charge a few weeks ago and were promised that Wi-Fi would be enabled from the next semester. The students also complained about not having a washing machine and proper sports equipment. The students have to either do their laundry themselves or outsource to washerwoman who charges Rs. 10 per piece of clothing. For sports, apart from the cricket set, the rest of the equipment is yet to arrive.

PaGaLGuY spoke to K. N. Satyanarayana, who is IIT Tirupati’s Professor-in-charge. He says he is doing as much as he can to address these issues. “The students discussed these issues a couple of weeks ago with me, and steps are being taken to rectify them. Since it is a transit campus, we want to spend prudently which is why some things are taking time to materialise,” he says.

He added that having been a hostel warden years ago, there was a risk with having washing machines. “From my past experiences with IIT Madras, I have realised that students are not always careful with the machines. We first want to put a system in place which will be of convenience to the students and also not harm them when using the machines. As of now they are managing on their own, but this too will be addressed,” he added hopefully.

With regards to the sports equipment Prof. Satyanarayana added that various sports kits have been ordered and will arrive in the next few weeks. But until then, he says that he has sought permission from a nearby school for the students to use the school’s courts. A bus service too has been started to drop and pick up students from the school.

Like any new institution, IIT Tirupati is grappling with administration issues. But while these issues are getting addressed by the authorities, the pace at which the changes are taking place is too slow for the students facing them.