By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The North Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) has taken exception to the neglect and apathy shown by the administration in improving the living conditions of students in the varsity hostels.
NEHUSU president Peacestar L Nonglait complained that the administration is moving at a snail’s pace to implement the decisions arrived at during an earlier meeting held between the students and the Vice-Chancellor in the presence of several varsity officials, for improving the living conditions in the NEHU hostels.
The Union stated that students were living in an unhealthy and dangerous environment comprising of broken ceilings, high tension electric wires in and around the campus, holes in the wooden and cemented floors of hostels and unspeakable degradation of physical, social and cultural environment.
“The last two vice-chancellors have destroyed the basic services available to the students in general and the hostellers in particular,” Nonglait said, adding that they are surprised that the students’ woes do not mean anything to the money-making and self-serving establishment of NEHU run by babus, engineers and officers.
Listing 10 sets of demands, the Union stated that there is a need to repair the hostel furniture, ceiling, floors, kitchen cupboards and other such installations, immediate repair of bath and toilets, maintenance of steady water supply at concerned hours with proper flow and water purification system.
Nonglait also added that for overall recreational, cultural, sports and health related matters the university must immediately operationalize the damaged basketball, volleyball, football and cricket courts and grounds by carrying out repair and maintenance work.
“Further the university must provide free gymnasium, free athletics and other indoor facilities by maintaining the existing facilities in a better way,” he added.
“We would like to remind the University administration to keep their gentlemen’s word. If they cannot keep their words then they have lost their moral right to serve in the University,” the NEHUSU president said.
Nonglait asked the university authority to address their grievances at the earliest failing of which, he threatened that the student community would be forced to resort to democratic protests and agitations for which the University administration would be solely responsible.