How are hostel rooms allocated in IIT Madras and what are the hostel rules and regulations?

The rooms are allocated on the basis of year and program you are pursuing. First-year college students are housed in dormitories with double occupancy. You could receive a single, double, or triple room starting in your third year. Whereas all the PG students are provided with single rooms

The rooms are generously sized and equipped with LAN connections for internet use. With washing machines, urinals, and several toilet and bathing stalls, each hostel wing features a communal set of toilets that are used by about 8 rooms.

Few important rules and regulation that needs to be followed by the hostellers are as follows

• Both within and beyond the campus, residents are expected to treat everyone with respect and fairness.
• Institute Identity Cards must be carried by all residents at all times and shown upon request.
• Before 11:00 p.m., all residents are required to return to their hostels. The relevant Warden may give permission for a late arrival.
• The Hostel Office and/or Assistant Warden must be notified of any civil and electrical concerns for resolution.
• Unauthorised, unauthorised, or pirated films should not be shown to the pupils.
• Before granting a No Dues Certificate, the Hostel Office must verify the room inventory
• Furniture and other fittings cannot be transported from one location to another.
• Defacing of shelves, doors, windows, or walls is prohibited, including the tacking of posters. In the event of a violation, a fine proportionate to the damage will be assessed.
• Ragging is a crime that will result in expulsion from the Institute and endorsement in the records, according to the Honourable Supreme Court's verdict.
• It is completely forbidden to possess, use or consume alcohol, tobacco or narcotic narcotics on hostel property or to enter the building while inebriated. Expulsion/rustication from a hostel or institution may be a part of a disciplinary action.
• No strange activities of any kind that disturb the neighbours should be done in the room.
• Residents shall not engage in any unsavoury, anti-social, or nationalistic activity.

One of my friends at IIT Madras stayed in the hostel. So I might be able to give you some information about it. Here is the stuff he shared with me.

• The allocation of hostel rooms for freshers and sophomores are random.
• There’s nothing as choice-based allotment of rooms.
• The good point of this is that you would be in possession of a room among your other batch mates.
• As mentioned earlier, sophomores again do not have a choice but to receive random allocation of hostel rooms.
• You are transferred to another hostel in your sophomore year.
• You’ll find yourself among the seniors and the better part of this is that seniors make the college life vivacious.
• Students of 3rd and 4th years have the freedom to occupy rooms of their own choice.
• Since the graduating students depart from the existing rooms, the sophomores and the students of 3rd and 4th years fill the vacancy.
• But the students of 5th year receive a higher priority in room selection afterall, they are the seniors.

There are a number of rules and regulations to be followed but the bottom line is that the students could not care any less. They precisely live by not being troublesome to others in the hostel and having the freedom to create their own fun college life.

Loud music, smoking and drinking within the hostel premises are prohibited but if you find a neighbour who does not care about it then the problem is solved.