The students of College of Fine Arts held an agitation on the college campus on Friday alleging laxity on the part of the college officials which resulted in the loss of the railway concession forms kept at the college office. Bachelors degree students of all batches took part in the protest, raising slogans against the ‘negligence of the officials.’
The issue of disappearance of the registers in which the forms were kept came to light when the third semester students approached officials to collect the All-India Round Tour concession form. Since a month-long all-India tour is mandatory for the successful completion of the course (Bachelor of Fine Arts), the students wanted to apply for railway concession, which would give them a 75-per cent reduction in fare. The tour was scheduled to begin in January.
But the officials bluntly said that the register was missing and that they could not give the concession form. Then the students asked the office staff to provide the normal students concession form using which they can travel by paying only 50 per cent of the actual journey fare. The staff once again said that the students concession form too was missing, enraging the students and forcing them to resort to an agitation.
“The tour is not a pleasure trip but part of our curriculum. We had procured the Department of Technical Education’s sanction and were about to reserve the train tickets. If we cancel this trip then next year we won’t be able to go because it will then jeopardise our juniors’ chance,” a students’ representative said.
But strangely, even after the ‘disappearance’ of two registers, the officials concerned have not registered a case with the police on the missing of the documents as that is required to avail fresh forms from the Railway. Moreover, the missing theory does not go down well with a section of students.
“This is not an isolated incident. Earlier, there were instances when the college staff forcefully collected fees from students who were admitted under reservation. The functioning of the administrative section is far from satisfactory,” another student representative said.
Meanwhile, N N Rimzon, the principal of the college, said that he had talked to top Railway officials, who have agreed to arrange some alternatives. ‘’Even if we produce the FIR, it will take more than six months to complete other formalities to get the concession form. So, I have spoken with the Railway Divisional Manager and he assured me of finding a way out,” he added.