Refurbishment and completion of the New Academic Block
To accommodate an expanded student community, the University recently commenced refurbishing the New Academic Block. Named after NLSIU’s founder-director, the Prof. (Dr.) N. R. Madhava Menon Nyaya Vidya Bhavan block is located close to the library and will henceforth be a primary centre for academic activity. Built in 2014, the two storey building has seven classrooms that can seat between 80 to 120 students, and two conference rooms. In November 2021, the building was outfitted for use with completion of staircases, water-proofing, installing of panels to cover open spaces, and ventilation works. Classroom and conference room renovations are scheduled to be completed by March 2022 in time for the new trimester. Spaces for NLS faculty members are also being planned in the block.
Renovation of hostels
Making the most of an extended period of online teaching, the University undertook an extensive renovation project for its hostels this academic year considering hygiene and COVID-safety requirements.
Women’s Hostel Rooms: In the Old Annapoorna hostel, the dormitory space was converted into six new double occupancy rooms, while the hall in the New Annapoorna hostel (New Mess Block) was converted into seven new double occupancy rooms. 12 new rooms were also constructed in the Yamuna hostel. All rooms have been renovated to fit in larger windows and additional vents above the doors for improved air circulation. With this, the capacity of the women’s hostels has increased from 291 to 329 students.
Men’s Hostel Mess: The existing men’s hostel mess is being expanded to make a larger dining space while an additional mess is being constructed within the same building to cater to a larger student crowd. These expansions are projected to increase the existing capacity by 80 students approximately.
Planning for new hostel rooms in the next two years is also underway as an integral part of the Master Plan redevelopment.
New classrooms in the block
The new air-conditioned classrooms will be equipped with a high-quality acoustic system, projectors, retractable screens and LED lights, along with cameras for remote learning, lecture recording and video interactions. Technological aids such as amplifiers and collar microphones are also provided in these smart classroom designs and ample plug points are being installed.
Redevelopment of the library
The Sri Narayan Rao Melgiri Memorial National Law Library was established in 2005 with the generous assistance of Mrs. Sudha Murty. Having received a recent grant for capacity expansion and rezoning of the library, NLSIU plans to undertake several measures to redevelop and further improve the quality of the library and its resources.
At the heart of these plans is a vision to reimagine the NLS Law Library based on two key focus points: (i) improving the architectural aspects, and (ii) widening access to digital resources to enable higher student engagement.
Upgraded gymnasium facility
The gym, which was located in a 990 sq ft. indoor space earlier, has now been moved to a newly-developed 1,575-sq ft. open venue in the Training Centre, adjacent to the basketball and tennis courts. The venue is stocked with new equipment, well-ventilated with adequate toilets, showers and changing rooms for faculty, staff and students.
Proposed Student Centre
A student centre is being planned to provide a dedicated space for students to socialise and collaborate in small and large groups for academic and extra-curricular activities.
Proposed Sports Centre
The University is exploring funding and partnerships for setting up a dedicated sports centre on campus for use by all members of the NLS community, including redevelopment and augmentation of existing facilities, for instance addition of a running track. As a starting boost to the sports facilities on campus, a cross-link fence has been installed around the football field and the rooms there are being refurbished to store sports gear.
Addition of eating spaces on campus
Located across the basketball court, Quess Cafe, with a seating capacity of around 60 members, offers a variety of meal and snack options. This is the first of several new catering initiatives NLSIU plans to offer. The University is also in the process of setting up a kiosk near the Library which will offer simple snack options and bakery items along with beverages.
Source: NLSIU
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