By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 17: Hundreds of students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Meghalaya staged a protest outside the administrative block on Monday against the failure of the institute management to provide them with basic facilities at the permanent campus in Saitsohpen, Sohra, where they shifted recently.
The students were miffed with the lack of hostel facilities for girl students, erratic power supply, unstable WiFi connectivity, foul-smelling water, leakage of roof etc.
On Sunday night, they protested as they had to go to PhD hostel to eat. They alleged the B Tech students were served stale and spoiled food. They also reported unhygienic cooking and dining conditions.
They are raising concerns about alleged discrimination in food quality and treatment compared to the PhD and girls’ hostels.
In a video, water was seen seeping into the electrical socket in the boys’ hostel and gushing out from the pipelines. A photo taken by the students showed flies in fish curry and dal.
According to the students, although they had submitted a letter to the institute’s director highlighting their grievances, no steps have been taken so far.
One of the students complained that there is no Wi-Fi connection during Sundays.
“We have been asked to stay with 18 students in one hostel room. No one is talking about shifting to the newly-constructed hostels,” she said, alleging there was no electricity, water and Wi-Fi connectivity on Sunday.
Another student questioned why the post-graduate boy students were allowed to stay in the girls’ hostel. She alleged the management has converted the girls’ hostel into a boys’ hostel despite the fact that the boys already have three hostels.
She said there are only two washrooms for 30 students and still worse, the two have no water.
A male student said the food being served does not suit those from the region. A food committee, comprising a student representative, chief warden and mess manager, got the contract to serve food but it is not served as per the menu.
Stating that the food problem is not a new thing, he said the students had decided to boycott their lunch and dinner two weeks ago as a mark of protest.
“After learning about this, the management invited the students and assured them that all the grievances about food quality would be addressed,” he said. The NIT Meghalaya shifted to its permanent campus in Sohra on January 16 this year.
