NAROWAL: Approximately 7,000 students at the University of Narowal are facing challenges due to the closure of the campus canteen, which has been shut for a year.

The university, located five kilometres from Narowal city on Shakargarh Road, previously offered a canteen for students convenience.

With the canteen closed, students must go outside the campus to buy stationery and snacks. The busy Narowal-Shakargarh Road, lined with private shops and cafes on one side and the university on the other, poses dangers due to heavy traffic for visitors to the nearby Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

Students like Alia Ashraf and Amina Abdullah leave home at 6am, often arriving at the university without breakfast. Their peers, Ghareeda Salim and Momina Akram, expressed fears about crossing the road just to buy essential supplies like notebooks and drinks.

Despite multiple requests to the university administration for the canteen’s reopening, they have received no response, leaving students to risk their safety for basic needs.

A spokesperson for the university said that the previous canteen contract ended unexpectedly. He noted that the National Logistics Cell is currently constructing a two-story cafeteria and commercial centre, which is expected to open soon.

Mr Zaidi also said that the legal process for re-contracting the canteen is ongoing.

Students are urging Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the vice-chancellor and the chancellor (governor) to take immediate action to address their situation.

looted: Four robbers looted Rs 7.6 million cash from employees of a car showroom on Paris Road in Sialkot on Saturday.

Businessman Amir Malik sent his two employees to a local bank who withdrew cash and were on way to the showroom when four gunmen on two bikes stopped them near Fatima Jinnah Park on Khawaja Safdar Road and opened fire.

They snatched the cash bag and fled.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2024