JNU hostel residents flag poor maintenance, water and lighting issues

Students living in hostels at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have raised concerns over damaged ceilings, drinking-water shortages, inadequate lighting, cleanliness, unreliable Wi-Fi and delays in maintenance.

Residents of Narmada and Shipra hostels said problems with basic infrastructure were affecting their daily routines, while students in dormitory accommodation also complained about poor lighting, connectivity and stray dogs entering residential areas.

Damaged ceilings at Narmada

At Narmada Hostel, students raised concerns about the condition of ceilings and delays in maintenance.

Rohan Ravishankar (name changed), a BTech student living in the hostel, said students had reported the problem to the authorities.

“The ceiling is in poor condition, and pieces of debris can fall from above. We have raised these issues with the authorities, but so far we have not seen any major action,” he said.

Also Read: Worms in flour, diluted milk: JNU hostel mess complaints mount

Students said falling debris had made the issue more than a routine maintenance concern, particularly because hostel rooms serve as their primary living and study spaces during the academic year.

Aman Srivastav (name changed), a student living in Sutluj Hostel, said residents often had to continue living with problems while waiting for repairs.

“You can complain about something, but until it is repaired, you still have to live with it every day,” he said.

Students said even smaller maintenance issues needed to be acknowledged and addressed before they became recurring problems.

Water and cleanliness concerns at Shipra

At Shipra Hostel, residents highlighted problems with drinking-water availability and the cleanliness of shared facilities.

Priya Sharma (name changed), an MA History student living at Shipra, said access to drinking water could become difficult at night when filters were not functioning properly.

“Drinking water is also a major issue because there is often no water in the filter at night,” she said.

Sharma also raised concerns about the cleanliness of washrooms and other shared facilities.

Students said regular maintenance was particularly important because large numbers of residents depended on the same drinking-water points, bathrooms and common areas.

Lighting and Wi-Fi in dormitories

Students living in dormitory accommodation also complained about inadequate lighting and poor internet connectivity.

Megha Joshi (name changed), a Chinese studies student living in the Shipra dormitory, said the lighting arrangement created difficulties for residents sharing the space.

“There are very few lights in the hostel, and some of them are interconnected, so switching on one light can turn on another as well,” she said.

Students sharing dormitories often follow different schedules, with some studying late while others are asleep. Joshi said residents sometimes had to use their phones for additional light.

Ananya Gupta (name changed), a Political Science student living in the dormitory, also raised concerns about inadequate lighting and Wi-Fi.

Students said unreliable internet connectivity affected access to university portals, research material, online classes and other academic resources.

Residents have also raised concerns about stray dogs entering residential areas.

Complaints and delays

Across Narmada, Sutluj and Shipra hostels, students said the larger concern was the time taken to resolve complaints after they were reported.

Residents said there was often uncertainty over what happened after a grievance was submitted and when repairs would be carried out.

They said an effective complaint mechanism should clearly acknowledge grievances, assign responsibility and communicate when a problem would be addressed.

The concerns raised by students vary across the three hostels, but residents said they wanted maintenance complaints to result in lasting solutions rather than temporary fixes.

The accounts in this report are based on individual student experiences and could not all be independently verified. Conditions may also vary between hostels and over time.

However, students said recurring concerns over structural maintenance, drinking water, cleanliness, lighting, connectivity and common facilities had made basic infrastructure a significant issue for residents.

Patriot attempted to contact the JNU administration over students’ concerns regarding hostel infrastructure, hygiene, drinking water, maintenance and basic facilities. The administration had not responded at the time of publication.

Students said they wanted safe buildings, functioning water facilities, clean common spaces, adequate lighting, reliable connectivity and a complaint mechanism that responded when problems were reported.