LUCKNOW, May 16 -- The 500-bed hostel project of King George's Medical University's has remained incomplete nearly a decade after receiving approval in 2016, forcing around 100 super-specialty students to arrange accommodation outside the campus midway through the academic session. At present, 86 DM and MCh students are staying in private paying guest accommodations and rented rooms as hostel facility is yet to be handed over. The situation has affected students coming from outside Lucknow, who are struggling to manage accommodation expenses alongside demanding medical training and hospital duties. KGMU spokesperson prof KK Singh said the university administration has issued three notices to the construction agency over repeated delays. He said the latest notice was served recently after the agency failed to meet earlier commitments. "If the hostel is not handed over by July 15, the university will submit a formal complaint to government and initiate penalty proceedings against agency," he said. University officials said the proposal hostel was approved in 2016 and a revised budget was sent to the state government in May 2017. However, re-approval reportedly took nearly four years, followed by delays in administrative formalities and the tendering process. Construction finally began in 2021 under the supervision of the Construction Corporation. The hostel was scheduled for completion by November 2024, but the executing agency later sought an extension till July 15. The project cost has also risen sharply over years - from the original estimate of Rs.90 crore in 2016 to Rs.157 crore at present. htc...