Students studying at Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) will not feel homesick any more.

To give students a homely atmosphere, the institute is designing their two new hostels with separate residential blocks.

Each block will be shared by six students and will have a common area and bathroom, unlike other hostels on the campus.

To add to their comfort, the authorities will also allow a television set in the common area. Also the two hostels will be the largest on the campus and will house maximum numbers of students.

According to the dean of student welfare, IIT-B, Prakash Gopalan, the new hostels, hostel number 14 and 15, will be the largest on the campus. “Each residential block will be shared by six students.

The block will have a common living area and bathroom which will be shared by the students. Each student will also get a small bedroom.

Both the hostels will have a capacity of 1,000 students, which is equivalent to the capacity of the three existing hostels put together,” said Gopalan. The foundation stone of these hostels have already been laid last month and the design for the hostels were approved by office of planning and development.

While it is not decided which year students would be accommodated in these hostels, one of the two hostels will most likely meant be for PhD students. But nothing is finalised yet. Both the hostels will be all boys hostel. The institute did not reveal the cost of the project.

Accommodations in the current hostels are allotted on twin-sharing basis. The shortage of beds in hostels has prompted them to set up the two new hostels, which will be ready by 2012.