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| August 18, 2003 | Monday | Jumadi-us-Sani 19, 1424 |
New security plan for QAU hostels
ISLAMABAD, Aug 17: The Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) has prepared a comprehensive security plan for its hostels to filter out outsiders, weapons and other unwanted elements, university sources told Dawn.
The university hostels have been vacated after quite some time during the summer vacations this year for renovation, the sources said, adding that a new gate for entrance would also be built in the meantime.
Besides, the QAU wants to run its hostels under new security arrangements. The sources said a sum of Rs3 million had been earmarked for complete overhauling of the five hostels — four for boys and one for girls — and work was in final stages as the university will open at the end of this month.
Last year, three students, including a girl, were killed on the campus in two different incidents. In both the cases small weapons were used and the accused had lived in the hostels.
Therefore, the sources said, the university had decided to take every possible step to improve the security apparatus on the campus with special focus on the hostels.
When contacted, the newly-appointed resident officer of the university, Dr Fayyaz Chaudhary, confirmed that after the summer vacations the hostels would give a new look with improved security.
Unfortunately, the trend of overstaying by old students and a significant number of outsiders in the hostels have created a number of problems on the campus over the last few years, he added.
“This time we will make it sure that not even a single outsider enters the hostels,” he said. The university has already started issuing identity cards to students living in the hostels.
Mr Chaudhary, who was the provost before his new appointment, said from now no relaxation would be granted to violators of university rules.
Furthermore, during the ongoing renovation work in the hostels a new gate is being built, through which students having no ID cards will not be allowed entry.
He said the university was also contemplating to man the new entrance with private security guards since similar arrangements have already been made for the main gate of the university.
“We are yet to decide whether to continue with our own security guards or appoint private guards at the main hostel gate,” Dr Chaudhary added.
To check weapons, the university is also considering installing metal detectors, but the decision in this regard would be taken later, he added.
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