SHILLONG, Aug 21 � Due to laxity in supervision and proper maintenance, the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) is reeling under darkness from Sunday, as two transformers of the University are out of order.
NEHU Vice Chancellor AN Rai said that the administration is trying its best to restore power for the benefit of its students in 22 hostel and 200 teachers� quarters in the sprawling 1100 acres University complex.
However, the temporary restoration of power would take another 48 hours, Rai said at a press briefing here today. He said that one of the two 3-MBA transformer circuits has been blown out due to lightning, but others claim they are out of order due to lack of maintenance and supervision.
�Due to general laxity in supervision and proper maintenance, one of the country�s premier educational institutions is going without water and electricity for the past three days. Students are facing immense hardship due to failure of the University administration in overseeing maintenance of these costly equipments,� Apurba Kumar Baruah, head of NEHU�s Political Science Department and chairman of NEHU Campus Welfare Committee (NEHU-CWC,) said.
Although Rai defended the University�s administration, Baruah was outright. He informed that the University, which has its own power supply station in the complex, has two transformers each with 3-MBA capacities. But when one failed, the standby transformer was also found to be out of order.
He said that the standby transformer should have been maintained by the University�s electricians and engineers. �When members of NEHU-CWC inquired we found the standby transformer was out of order for sometime now, nobody bothered to repair it. This year the UGC is giving a grant of Rs 2.77 crore just for uninterrupted power supply to this central University. In 2009, it is reported that Rs 2 crore was given by the UGC for uninterrupted power supply where and how was this fund utilised,� Baruah inquired.
He urged upon the public to demand accountability and transparency regarding utilisation of fund by the University allotted by the Central government. �The public must demand from NEHU�s administration how the crores of rupees that is funded by the central Government is spent,� he stated.
Baruah added that even after failure of transformers the administration did not contact the district administration for assistance in getting water to the University complex. �The administration has failed totally as there was no coordination between the administration in contacting the district administration and seeking help to tide over the emergency situation,� he added.
