[ Indu Chukhu ]
ITANAGAR, 21 May: For nearly a week, 45 students studying at the Film & Television Institute (FTI) Jote, Arunachal campus have been protesting the lack of basic amenities on the campus, such as severe electricity outages, incomplete and unsafe infrastructure, and other issues, resulting in an academic halt.
On 15 May, following the regular campus visit by the chief engineer of the central public works department (CPWD), Northeast Regional Office, Shillong, Mukesh Kumar, the first batch of students at the FTI Jote campus resorted to protest seeking proper infrastructure and facilities, and has been on an indefinite academic halt ever since.
The total cost of the infrastructure development project is `125 crore, of which FTI has released ` 85 crore to CPWD.
The FTI campus was shifted from its temporary arrangement at Vivek Vihar to its permanent location at Jote in March 2025, with assurances made by CPWD, the executing agency responsible for constructing the FTI campus.
The students are protesting because the CPWD has extended its stipulated deadline and disclosed a revised timeline for various building works on the campus.
At least 12 infrastructure projects are pending completion including, the girls’ hostel, the date of completion for which has been extended to 31 May, 2025, from 15 May, 2025, with a physical progress of 90% as per CPWD’s claims. The classroom theatre is also expected to be completed by 31 May, while the sound block, dining block, and administrative block are expected to be completed by 15 July, 31 July, and 31 August, 2025, respectively.
The boys’ hostel, with a physical progress of 65%, has a deadline for completion by 30 September, while the academic block is expected to be completed by 31 October, 2025.
The CPWD claims that they will complete important academic infrastructures such as the Digital Block, Preview Theatre, and Shooting Floor by 30 November and 31 December, respectively. Other development works on the campus are expected to be completed by 31 December, 2025.
It is learned that CPWD had given a timeline to FTI, stating that the campus infrastructure work would be completed by 2024, with the assurance that the temporary campus at Vivek Vihar could be shifted. Based on this assurance, FTI moved to Jote, but the assurances were not met. In the absence of proper classrooms, online classes were resumed for two months.
The contractor is Mayu Taring under M/S Kenge Construction. In February 2019, the work order to construct the FTI permanent campus at Jote was allotted.
The institute is functioning without a full-fledged director. Currently, Jane Namchu, the additional director general of Press Knformation Bureau Kolkata, is serving as the additional in-charge campus director at FTI Jote (Rakap). One of the students’ demands is for a permanent campus director.
Speaking with this reporter, deputy registrar of FTI Jote, Deepak Kumar, responded to the developments at the campus and the academic halt, stating that the institute stands with the students’ demands regarding the complaints of poor infrastructure. He added that CPWD had assured that the buildings would be delivered in a phased manner, with the full campus expected to be completed by December 2025. Kumar stated that the institute is in constant touch with CPWD to expedite the work and ensure that the infrastructure is completed before the deadline. The institute has also requested the students to lift their academic halt, assuring them that all their demands will be met.
While accepting the delays in infrastructure work, FTI Jote has responded to the students’ protest by saying that they are closely coordinating with CPWD, the contractor, and state departments to expedite the process. Regarding their demands on water supply, the institute said that water arrangements are managed by the public health engineering department (PHED) and further informed that filtered drinking water is being made available through mineral water jars in the mess and hostel areas.
FTI Jote is located 24 kilometers from Itanagar. Since the area does not fall under the purview of the Itanagar Municipal Corporation, there is no waste collection system on the campus, and the institute has hired a private party for waste disposal.
The campus currently offers three PG Diploma courses (2 years) in the Department of Screenwriting, Acting, and Documentary Cinema. The annual fee is approximately `1.4 lakh. With poor infrastructure on the campus, exorbitant fees have become a major issue of concern.
Meanwhile, former MP and senior Congress leader Takam Sanjoy has extended his support to the students of FTI Jote, who are on an indefinite academic strike over administrative apathy and unfulfilled promises concerning basic infrastructural and academic necessities. In a statement, Sanjoy mocked the ruling BJP, saying that FTI’s dire condition has exposed the party’s failures.
“The students have been suffering due to the lack of clean drinking water, 24/7 electricity, power backup, campus security, functional classrooms, digital access, a classroom theatre, and post-production blocks, and many are falling sick on campus. Despite tall promises, the ground reality tells a different story,” said Sanjoy.
He further questioned the unprofessional manner in which FTI Jote is being run. “The situation at FTI Jote needs urgent intervention from the authorities in the interest of the students. It is high time the state’s BJP Chief Minister urges the BJP-led Union I&B Ministry to take action. They need to wake up from their deep slumber and do what is necessary to save the ‘lotus brigade’ from national embarrassment. The sooner, the better,” Sanjoy added.
