A senior Delhi University official on 9 November 2021 said that the campus cannot be reopened. The reason behind it was stated that the DDMA hasn’t allowed 100% seating capacity yet.
Speaking to PTI, Delhi University Registrar Vikas Gupta said that they will hold a meeting after 10 days to decide on reopening. He said how can the university reopen campuses until DDMA allows 100% seating capacity. “60% of students of the university are from outside Delhi. We can’t ask them to come here, stay in a hostel and take online classes since only 50 per cent seating capacity is allowed,” Gupta told the news agency.
Till the time District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) gives clear guidelines on 100% seating capacity, the university cannot decide on complete reopening, he said.
However recently before Diwali, Delhi University VC sent a mixed signal. He stated, “We will decide after Diwali. There is a fear that Covid might recur. If the situation remains fine, we will think.”
Students have protested for the reopening of colleges. They have stood outside the offices and college campuses all day. But, we can declare it as a futile attempt that caught no attention of the Delhi University authorities. While no fruit bore out of their work, these poor student protesters were left wheezing due to Delhi’s great air quality this time of the year. And let’s not forget, the hunger strike “to push” the university to open colleges.
Ideas were pushed forward by VC such as increasing the university timings. The idea behind it was to call students and teachers at a particular time to attend/teach and go back home. This would mean more sections of a particular class or department. But no action was taken thereafter.
