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Locals close down Garhwal university

A strike by local people demanding employment in the Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University in Shrinagar has led to a breakdown of its functioning for almost two months.

Academic activities in most blocks of this university, in the Himalayan foothills, stopped on December 3 when villagers of nearby areas cited instances of their land having been acquired by the institution for construction, and began agitating for jobs in the subordinate staff as compensation.

As the classes of hundreds of students soon came to a halt, the university administration created some vacancies to address the villagers' grievances.

"We have created 418 new posts in the sub-staff category. But the vacancies are yet to be filled as we are waiting for clearance from the state finance department," said Dr Sudha Pande, ad-hoc vice-chancellor.

She said the university has been corresponding with the district magistrate about taking measures to remove the agitators who are blocking its normal activities in the Chaurus campus, which houses the prestigious science and business administration departments.

"Unless the district administration co-operates, we cannot do much," Dr Pande added.

The district administration is said to be going soft on the agitators because of the political angle the issue has assumed. Recently, Uttar Pradesh Minister for Uttaranchal Development Matbir Singh Kandri visited the dharna (sit-in) site and joined the agitators and exhorted them not to give up until their demand is met.

Dr Pande's position is also a reason why the issue has not been sorted out yet. "After all, no one bothers much for an ad-hoc vice-chancellor," said Krishnanand Mathani, a social worker.

Efforts to appoint a new vice-chancellor are also in jeopardy as local politicians are playing their role by pleading for a person who hails from the region and belongs to an "acceptable" caste.

The ministerial section of the department is almost empty nowadays as most staffers desert the office after the forenoon session. The case with the other wings is not much different.

UNI

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