Delhi University students demands Student Metro Pass ahead of DUSU election

New Delhi: Ahead of Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) election, scores of members of the Left-affiliate All India Students Association (AISA) took out a rally titled "DU demands" in the University"s North Campus on Tuesday.

Demanding a violence free campus, hostel facility and metro concessional passes, the students submitted a memorandum under their campaign "Hinsa Nahi Hostel Chahiye, Fare Hike Nahi Metro Pass Chahiye." The memorandum had 20,000 signatures of students across colleges and was presented to the Vice Chancellor.

Kawalpreet Kaur, President of DU AISA said, "In a country where more than 80% belong to the lower income group, quality and affordable education to all has to be the biggest priority for any model of development. But other than constructing more universities on those lines we must also focus on DU. On the one hand, DU is being made unaffordable to common students, and on the other, it is becoming a hub of hooliganism."

The students also approached the Dean of Students Welfare raising concerns over special buses for them. "He promised us six University Special Buses for the time being which will be later increased," Kaur said.

Another major concern of students was lack of hostel facilities at the campus. "I study in an outer campus college and I stay in Noida because of the unavailability of hostels in my college. Things would have been better if the university would have provided hostels to us Also, I spent more than Rs 100 everyday on metro," said Shreya Kapoor, from the Indraprastha College for Women.

With DUSU elections to be held on September 12, campaigning is on in full swing here across the campus. And it remains to be seen if students" concerns do get addressed.