Regular Director for NIT soon; classes to continue at Yupia
Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Oct 13: The Ministry of Human Resource Development which is looking after the affairs of National Institute of Technology (NIT) has reportedly made it clear that unless Itanagar-Jote road is repaired, the NIT will not be shifted to its permanent campus at Jote. The MHRD is reportedly miffed with state government for neglecting the said stretch of road.
As per the NIT officials, at the time of declaring Jote as permanent site, the then state government headed by late Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu had assured MHRD to convert Itanagar to Jote road as state highway.
“The MHRD is absolutely furious with state government for neglecting the said road. This road is very important for NIT Jote to come up in true sense. The Under Secretary, MHRD was shocked to see the condition of Itanagar-Jote road. He was satisfied with progress of infrastructure development at permanent campus site but not happy with the road condition. Now the ball is in the court of state government. Unless said stretch of road is improved, the MHRD will not agree to shift NIT to Jote,” said an official.
State government sanctioned Rs 12 crore for maintenance of Itanagar-Jote road last year and tender process for it started in March 2017. But strangely till now the tender has not been finalized. The PWD claimed that Rs 12 crore is not enough and they need atleast Rs 30 crore to fully revitalize the said road. Chief Minister Pema Khandu during his visit to NIT in December 2016 had promised to convert Itanagar-Jote into 2 lane highway but so far no step has been taken and it remains promise only in paper.
Meanwhile, an official statement from the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Papum Pare informed that a regular Director for the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Yupia will be posted soon and the students, who were shifted to its Jote campus, will be shifted back to Yupia until the facilities come up at Jote NIT campus.
It was informed by Krishnamurty Rajen, Under Secretary, Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) during a meeting convened by Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner Tai Kaye following the on-going agitation by the students of the institute.
On October 11, around 700 students of the institute gheraod all the NIT faculty members and staff and did not allow them to leave the campus at Yupia.
Later, the agitating students were pacified following intervention from Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner and Police.
The District Administration is keeping a close vigil to deal with any untoward incident in the NIT campus.
The students took the path of agitation in view of the over enrolment of students without sufficient accommodation facility, hectic shifting of departments from Yupia to Jote, non posting of regular Director after the retirement of present Director, delay in infrastructure at its permanent campus at Jote and pathetic condition of road from Itanagar to Jote.
The Mechanical Engineering Department of the Institute was shifted from Yupia to Jote during 2015. All the first year students were shifted to Jote recently.
NIT Registrar (in-charge) Dr PK Bandhopadhyaya and Head of Electrical Department Rajen Budoi also attended the meet, DIPRO said in a report.
