Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, MARCH 11
The All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) has on Friday decided to keep its agitation in abeyance following a written assurance issued by the state government to initiate action within a week’s time towards addressing the issues raised by ANCSU.
The organization has been pursuing what it termed “irregularity, discrepancies and loopholes” in conduct of exams and distribution of seats for various technical courses by the state Technical Education department since 2014 and has submitted representations and an ultimatum to the government asking for redressal. ANCSU recently resorted to phase-wise agitations due to inaction by the authorities towards its three-point demand.
This morning, the union members had picketed the Directorate of Technical Education in Kohima as part of its third phase of agitation, preventing the officials and staff of the department to enter the office premises for regular work. However, on the receipt of a letter from the Chief Secretary assuring that the state government will initiate action within a week to address the three issues raised by ANCSU, the organization decided to call off its agitation towards the afternoon and keep its campaigning in abeyance.
ANCSU president, Zhoku Thuluo informed that the union will wait for one week starting from March 11 and see if the state government will fulfil the assurance, and in the event the union is not satisfied with the “action”, it would go ahead and launch the fourth phase of agitation. He said ANCSU will continue to remain vigilant when matters that decide the very future and destiny of the students are compromised.
Mention may be made here that ANCSU had served a 15-day ultimatum to the Chief Minister on February 17 last, and a reminder of the same was forwarded on March 2, demanding that the government take punitive action against erring officials as per the findings of State Vigilance Commission report in matters relating to loopholes under the department of Technical Education which were directly related to affecting students’ future; to initiate process for amalgamation of Technical Education Department with Higher Education Department without delay; and that, only the students belonging to indigenous tribes of Nagaland should be allowed to appear the technical and allied courses for state reserved quota.
