Shifting of BPUT office to R’kela fuels students’ strike

BHUBANESWAR: Shifting of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT)’s main office from the capital city to Rourkela has fueled the students’ agitation in the city on Monday. The students of all the engineering colleges of the city and around the city conducted strike led by the BPUT Students’ Union (BSU) demanding rollback of the shifting decision and publication of correct results of the students in the university website.

Hundreds of students of different engineering colleges in and around the city conducted strikes at Master Canteen, Fire Station square, CRP square, Rasulgarh Chak and others places in the city protesting the decisions of the university authorities.       

BSU State president Sukumar Gourab said that shifting of BPUT Gandamunda office from the capital city to Rourkela is illegal. More than 90 colleges out of 150 BPUT affiliated colleges are in the city only or within 20 km radius from the city. More than Rs 97 lakh has been invested to complete the BPUT Gandamunda office, which is started for placement and office proposes, Gaurab added.

“More than 500 students daily come to Gandamunda office for various purposes. If the Government would shift the office, the students have to go Rourkela for their work. This would be very expensive,” Gaurab said.

The agitated students have also complained about wrong result declaration as the BPUT declared various semester results on Sunday. Many students could not find results in the website and most of them complained that the grade published in the website is not correct. BSU State president Gourab said that if the Government and BPUT officials do not stop the order of shifting the Gandamunda office and not rectify the result of the students, the students all over the State would go for State-wide strike.