The resident students of dilapidated Kobi Jibanananda Das Hostel yesterday started moving into a new accommodation facility at Government BM College in Barisal.

The newly-built five-storey hostel named Shankhachil is yet to be inaugurated officially although it was completed around four months ago.

In the meantime, the students had to suffer a lot in the three tin-roof buildings of the old hostel as they were too dilapidated to live in.

The doors and windows of the one-storey buildings got damaged, while there were holes in the roofs, the students said. Also, cracks appeared on the walls, they said.

In addition, due to space shortage, a number of resident students have to cram into the small rooms of the dormitory, also known as Hindu hostel.

Meanwhile, the college authorities have permitted the students to unofficially stay in the new dormitory. “The hostel superintendent has allowed us to live temporarily in the new building,” said Mithun Kobiraj, a master's student of chemistry.

The resident students of the hostel had been staging demonstrations for a long time, demanding inauguration of the new dormitory.

The hostel Superintendent Goutam Kumar Saha said he allowed the students to move in following their demonstrations, taking permission of the authorities.

College Principal Prof Shafiqul Islam said he gave the permission considering students' sufferings.

“The new building will be inaugurated by the second week of March. About 30,000 students are studying at the college under higher secondary, honours and master's programmes, and its six hostels can accommodate 2,000 students, he said. Around 146 students currently reside in Jibanananda Das Hostel, while Shankhachil can accommodate 200.