Protest against corruption in Purvanchal University

Himalayan News Service

ITAHARI; Dissatisfied with what they called ‘corrupt ways’ of the Purvanchal University administration, people of Morang district’s Mrigauliya, the VDC where the university is based, have announced an agitation with a list of demands.

Through the Purvanchal University Cooperation and Coordination Committee, local stakeholders declared the first phase of their struggle at a press meet on the university premises yesterday. Lok Prasad Sangroula, the committee chairman, said they had no option but to opt for the stir against massive corruption in the university.

He went on to inform that the committee had submitted a memorandum to the local administration on October 28. Under the first phase of its agitation, the committee plans to hold an interaction on the university on November 16, make locals aware of corrupt practices in the institution on November 20 and launch a sit-in outside the district administration office from November 28.

The committee has demanded that the varsity carry out all its works from its own buildings in Mrigauliya instead of operating from a rented building in Biratnagar, run its medical college effectively, investigate corruption in the university, provide jobs to local people on merit basis, include locals in the university senate and provide scholarships to deserving students. Then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala had inaugurated the institution a decade ago in Mrigauliya and it now has eight modern buildings there. Meanwhile, expensive equipment meant for the university’s medical college, which came to operation one-and-a-half-years ago on the university premises, have fallen into disuse. It is also reported the college is yet to get Nepal Medical Council’s permission to run classes.