Even as the students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Arunachal Pradesh were staging a protest over the failure of NIT authorities to relocate to the permanent campus at Jote under Papum Pare district came the news of approval of the Revised Cost Estimates by the Union Cabinet for construction of permanent campuses.
The cabinet approved a total cost of Rs 4371.90 crore for establishment of permanent campuses of new NITs, with the NIT Jote being provided Rs 868.36 crore. It is a huge relief for the NIT authorities as well as the students.
The NIT has been functioning from a temporary campus at Yupia since its establishment. The students have been put in temporary hostels arranged in places like Nirjuli and Lekhi.
The work at Jote stopped from 2016 onwards after the MHRD stopped funding. The students have been severely affected due to lack of a permanent campus. They have been staging protests for the last few days demanding that the authorities shift them to the permanent campus at the earliest.
Now that the Government of India has approved a massive amount of Rs 868.36 crore for infrastructure development of the Jote campus, the NIT authorities should fast-track the work and move to the permanent campus at the earliest for the benefit of the students. There should also be strict monitoring so that the fund is properly utilised.
The NIT is an institute of national importance, and therefore, the state government should extend cooperation. The people of Jote area also will have to wholeheartedly support the NIT project and should not create unnecessary hurdles.