Kolkata, Mar 15 (PTI) Students of Presidency University have been staging a sit-in demonstration on the campus for over 25 hours, demanding the introduction of a bus service between the Salt Lake girls' hostel and the city campus.

On Friday, the agitation escalated as the students blocked the road, disrupting vehicular traffic for around 15 minutes at the MG Road and College Street crossing.

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The students, numbering around 100, are demanding the reinstatement of bus services for girl students residing in the hostel, which had been provided till 2019 but was discontinued after the Covid pandemic.

Despite repeated requests to the college authorities, no action has been taken, according to a spokesperson for the students.

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Their demands include the introduction of four buses for girl student boarders from April, with a monthly transportation fee capped at Rs 500. Currently, around 50 boarders have been staging a sit-in protest outside the office of the dean of hostels and development officer for over 25 hours.

The movement has garnered support from student bodies like the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Independent Consolidation (IC). However, university officials said the previous bus service was arranged by the state transport department under subsidy, and reviving it is not feasible.

The Presidency Hostel for girls is located in Salt Lake, while the boys' hostel is near the College Street campus.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)