MPUF upset over delay in NEHU Jaintia Hills campus

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Peoples’ United Front (MPUF) has questioned the inordinate delay in setting up of a NEHU campus in Jaintia Hills.
“It is sad that the authorities have not given a serious consideration on the need for a NEHU campus in Jaintia Hills. This is total disregard to the sentiments of the people of the district by the University authorities. If they have a campus in Tura then what is the problem in having the same in Jaintia Hills?” MPUF president D Laloo questioned while addressing newsmen here on Wednesday.
Laloo reminded that there was a proposal to start the NEHU campus in Jaintia Hills in 2005.
“Since then the proposal has hardly progressed and has been lying in cold storage for the past eight years,” Laloo said.
He informed that the Dorbar of Moodymmai village, where the proposed University campus was to be set up, had voluntarily offered 6.46 hectares of land at Wahiajer free of cost.
“Till date the NEHU authorities have not surveyed the land,” Laloo claimed.
Speaking on the issue of reservation, the MPUF chief, while pointing out that reservation  of seats for the people of Meghalaya being not more than 40 per cent, said that with such low numbers of reserved seats, students are forced to go outside the State to study.
“None of the members representing our State have thought about the welfare of the students and tried to get more seats reserved for the students,” Laloo added.