LPG shortage forces Pondicherry University to bring forward exams, asks students to vacate hostels by May 1

Local cherries: pondicherry university Due to LPG shortage, the school decided to postpone the exams from May 6 to April 21 and directed students to vacate their hostels by May 1, much to the chagrin of the students.University Registrar R Gunasekaran in a notification announced the revised academic calendar for the academic year 2025-26, which will reduce the working days from 90 to 79 days “due to administrative reasons”. Summer vacation for all undergraduate/graduate students will begin on May 1st. Deans of colleges, departments and center heads were told to ask students to move out of their dormitories before May 1.The Students’ Federation of India Puducherry University (SFI PU) has condemned the university’s arbitrary decision to advance exams and direct students to vacate their hostels. In a statement, the student forum demanded that the school immediately withdraw its decision and resume its original schedule. The university administration should prioritize the academic well-being of students over administrative convenience and ensure that no student is penalized due to circumstances beyond their control, the statement said.Instead of passing the burden on to students by compressing the academic calendar, universities should explore other arrangements to address the LPG issue, the report said. SFI PU said: “Immediate steps should be taken to ensure uninterrupted campus operations, including procurement of alternative fuels. Failure to do so will not only disrupt academic studies but also severely impact student attendance, especially for those students who depend on campus facilities for their daily livelihood.” “While the BJP-led NDA government continues to deny any LPG crisis and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi It is publicly claimed that there is no shortage of LPG, but this is not the case in reality. It is deeply shocking that a central university would take such extreme measures. It exposed the ‘administrative failure’ and ’emptiness’ of the coalition’s claims. “