Students protest in Banjar, demand early college building construction

Hundreds of students and youth from Gada-Gushaini under Banjar subdivision of Kullu district took to the streets yesterday, demanding the commencement of construction work of the under-construction college building. The rally, which began at the college premises, passed through the main market area and culminated in a big public meeting at the local bus stand.

The rally was organised to highlight the “neglect” as students said they had been waiting for a proper college building for over a decade. The existing site remains in poor shape with only a few incomplete pillars standing and iron rods hanging dangerously without proper shuttering.

Addressing the gathering, Dola Singh (college unit president), Jiyalal (secretary), Bhawani (vice president), Mahender Singh Rana (state secretary, All India Democratic Youth Organisation) and Anil Kumar (state president, SFI) criticised both the Congress and BJP governments for their apathetic approach towards the region.

Speakers at the rally said that although the college building project was initiated more than 10 years ago, no significant progress has been made. They said the construction has not even reached the halfway mark. Only pillars have been erected. Exposed rods without shuttering pose a safety risk.

The speakers did not spare either of the two major political parties. They alleged that during the previous BJP government’s five-year tenure, the project faced neglect despite the fact that the then Chief Minister was from the Seraj constituency and the local MLA from Banjar was also from the BJP.

The current Congress government, which has been in power for the past more than two years, has also failed to address the issue, they said. Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh had visited the site six months ago and promised to begin construction soon. However, students and locals claim that no work has been started since the visit, terming it a “picnic visit” rather than a serious inspection.

The protesters have submitted an ultimatum to the state government and the Executive Engineer of the Banjar division, warning that if construction was not started within 15 days, they would initiate mass hunger strike on October 30, vowing to escalate the movement further. Earlier, a demand letter was submitted jointly by the students and local residents to the college Principal and Executive Engineer.