Student ire over govt negligence

The Statesman, Dec 3, 2008

BHAWANIPATNA, Dec. 2: Protesting the alleged negligence meted out to the government autonomous college here, hundreds of students led by union president Mr Abinash Thakur resorted to agitation today. With the main demand of filling up the vacant posts of the teaching staff and slew of other demands, the students boycotted classes and picketed in front of the main gate.
The agitators alleged that against the sectioned 59 teaching staff posts in the degree college, there are only 32 leaving as many as 27 posts vacant. Similarly, in the junior college, there are 21 teaching staff members against a sanctioned strength of 26.
The students charged that despite large number of vacancies of teaching staff posts, the lecturers are transferred without any arrangement of substitutes.
They also demanded to issue library cards and make all necessary books available in the library. They also sought the revival of the defunct cooperative consumer store of the college, issue of bus connection in government and private buses and early release of post-matric scholarship for SC/ST students for the year 2006.
Later, they went in a procession and called on the collector airing their grievances. The collector was handed over a memorandum listing the charter of demands addressed to the state higher education minister.