KU offers abandoned hostel for census staff’s accommodation

The University of Karachi on Wednesday offered an abandon hostel to house army personnel to be deployed during the upcoming national census.

A day earlier, the Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS) rejected the proposal of accommodating census staff at the new building of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Karachi University.

They urged the varsity management not to lend any place within the KU premises for census staff, saying that it would affect the academic activities in the varsity.

The teachers' representative body also expressed their concerns over the letter released by the Deputy Commissioner Office, East, in which the KU administration had been informed that new building of Faculty of Pharmacy, KU, would be used to accommodate the staff who would be supervising the upcoming general census.

The KU management had also expressed its reservations over the matter and through a letter it informed the DC East that the varsity could not do it.

However, the KU management has now offered an abandon hostel to house the census staff.

According to a KU official, the census staff will not stay in any academic building and therefore it would not affect the academic activities.

“The army troops will now stay at the [old] hostel building instead of the pharmacy building. The KU administration is thankful to the Pakistan Army and the city administration for the cooperation.”

Talking to The News, KUTS President Professor Dr Shakeel Farooqui said the dean of pharmacy had agreed to provide two rooms to the census staff to store civil records of the upcoming general census.

“I have come to know about this latest development but cannot talk to the relevant dean, the vice chancellor or other senior official at the campus. The KUTS will gather the relevant information before giving any statement in this regard.”