[Bengia Ajum]
ITANAGAR, 22 May: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has expressed disappointment over the report that students of the Jote-based Film and Television Institute, Arunachal Pradesh (FTI-AP) have gone on an indefinite academic strike, starting from 15 May.
Speaking to this daily, Rijiju said he has sought a report from the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry.
“I have received a preliminary report in this regard. The students have raised genuine issues, and they should be addressed. I have been informed that a meeting between FTI-AP officials and the local administration is being planned. I hope the concerns raised by the students are addressed at the earliest,” said Rijiju.
Further, Rijiju informed that the joint secretary of the I&B Ministry is leaving for FTI Jote on Friday. “I am sending a senior official to visit FTI Jote to ascertain facts and thereby settle the issues raised by students,” he said.
The FTI-AP was initiated by Rijiju when he was the MoS for Home in the union government.
A senior official from the Department of Information & Public Relations (DIPR) informed that a meeting has been scheduled for Friday to discuss the matter. “All stakeholders, including senior officials from DIPR, PHED, Power, CPWD, FTI, and the deputy commissioner of Papum Pare, will attend the meeting. The issues raised by the students are being taken very seriously,” the DIPR official stated.
The students are on an indefinite academic strike, alleging administrative apathy and broken promises regarding basic infrastructural and academic necessities.
Their demands include provision of clean drinking water, 24/7 electricity with power backup, campus security, functioning classrooms, and digital access.
The students are also demanding the completion of key academic infrastructure, such as the classroom theatre and post-production blocks, which have been promised but have not yet been established.
The students have been raising concerns over inadequate classroom facilities and curriculum infrastructure for the past few months. The institute lacks proper power and water connections. Furthermore, the FTI-AP does not have a full-time director and is currently being managed by officials from the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata, which has further complicated the situation.
