Students Stage Protest in NIT Manipur Over Mismanagement in the Institute

Students of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Manipur have resolved to continue their protest, as their demands for proper infrastructure set-up in the institute  remain neglected till date.

The students launched a hunger strike on January 21, and have continued with a sit-in- on the campus, protesting against insufficient books in the library, improper and insufficient laboratory equipment, technical issues in the lecture halls, inoperative equipment, and lack of adequate teachers in the institute among others.

Speaking to media personnel in Imphal, one student, Ajay Kumar, who is a hosteller, said that up to seven boys are accommodated in a single room in the hostel at main campus in Lamphel, which makes it impossible for them to study in the room. “The authorities have been assuring the students of development since the past 3-4 years, but so far, nothing has been taken up for the welfare of the students,” he added.

A fourth semester student, Moirangthem Babylicha Devi, told local reporters that the hostel is allotted to the girls in Manipur Technical University, Takyel, which causes inconvenience to them. It takes a lot of time to commute. Besides, other issues they face include transport facilities in the area. The library at the main campus also can accommodate only 20 students which makes it inconvenient for the students to study.

Devi also questioned whether the funds for the institute are used at all, as the institute lacks even the basic facilities, and has a poor infrastructure.

Students complain that there are only a few instruments in the laboratory, and many of them have been rendered unusable. Apart from that, at times, two lectures are simultaneously conducted in the same laboratory of different classes, alleged the students.

It is alleged that there are no courts and well-maintained playgrounds. Devi spoke of water-logging, broken walls of the classrooms, defunct lights in the hostel corridors, improper toilets and incomplete auditorium.

The students also complained about absence of mentors while taking up new projects, lack of platform to participate in various activities, dearth of competitions, and almost no importance to sports.

A report compiled by the first-year students, on the unavailability of basic facilities, attempted to explain why NIT Manipur is ranked low when compared to other NITs. New NITs like Meghalaya and Sikkim are developing at a faster rate, it claimed. There are 10 hostels in NIT Meghalaya in spite of its temporary campus, and placement figures in other NITs are respectable.

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“Why is NIT Manipur not participating in or visiting other NIT fests and competitions, and has no proper platform to explore, nurture and learn?” asked the students of NIT while staging the protest.

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged “irregularities and wasteful expenditure” in the construction of the NIT, Manipur, officials with knowledge of the matter said.

The construction work started at NIT Manipur in 2011, at an approved cost of Rs 250 crore. The NIT, located at Langol Hills, however, breached the Rs 250-crore limit and a  revised proposal was put up before the ministry’s expenditure finance committee in May last year.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the ministry then formed a panel to visit the campuses of all the NITs that had submitted revised estimates. The panel, which visited NIT Manipur, raised questions over the manner in which crores of rupees of public money were spent.

The committee was of the view that the Central Public Works Department, which was entrusted with the construction work, had not gone into the details of “site complexity”. The site was created by filling in marshy land.

The panel observed in its report that expensive lab equipment purchased by the NIT lie unused after which an inquiry was called so that responsibility could be fixed for the “lapses”. It also insisted that the suitability of the site needed to be reassessed because of the problem of water logging.

A project monitoring unit (PMU) of the HRD ministry also visited the site and recommended an audit of expenses incurred, according to a government official cited in Hindustan Times.

The ministry promptly requested the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to conduct a special audit, the official added.

NIT, Manipur administration remained unavailable, as Newsclick tried to reach the NIT for a comment over the same.

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