Shillong, Sep 20: The Niksamso Garo Community Organisation (NGCO) has accused the North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) of hampering development of the NEHU Tura campus due to its feud with the Vice-Chancellor PS Shukla.
The NGCO cited several instances that it used to back up its claims. For example, it drew attention to a January press release where NEHUTA questioned work allocated for the Tura campus at a cost of nearly Rs 94 crore. The association alleged irregularities in the nomination of the Manipur Tribal Development Corporation Ltd in preparing the detailed project report. The NEHUTA allegations were made “without presenting even an iota of evidence,” the NGCO said. “These allegations were strongly refuted by the then Director of Tura Campus, Prof S Gurudev. After his clarification, NEHUTA fell silent, giving no explanation or substantiation of its earlier claims.”
Now, the NGCO says, NEHUTA has adopted a “subtle but deliberate strategy” to create obstacles in convening the Executive Council (EC) meetings of NEHU. These meetings are vital for the approval and implementation of infrastructure development projects at the Tura campus, it added. Rs 45 crore has already been released for the first phase of certain projects by the central government and the remaining amount could be in danger if the EC meeting is delayed. This would jeopardise “much-needed initiatives and undermine the academic and infrastructural growth of Tura campus.”
The NGCO wants the EC meeting to be held forthwith, whether in Shillong, or, if that is not possible, in Tura. It took “strong exception” to NEHUTA’s declaration of Shukla as persona non grata, saying that the association does not represent all NEHU stakeholders and has received little to no support for its “divisive stand” from groups in Garo Hills.
The Tura campus has been the victim of step-motherly treatment, negligence and deprivation for decades and NEHUTA’s “confrontational attitude” threatens this further, the NGCO added. “The present opportunity for major infrastructure development should not be sabotaged by unwarranted political gamesmanship.
