Bhubaneswar: From makeshift shelters for canteen staff to store rooms, student union offices in state-run public universities are being used for different purposes other than the one originally intended — to serve as a meeting point to debate issues related to students welfare. With student union elections not being held since 2018, the offices have fallen into disrepair.
With the govt announcing plans to hold student body elections from next year, focus has shifted to the union rooms which need cleaning and repair before they can be used.
The union office at Utkal University looks to be in a dilapidated condition with furniture and other office materials damaged and strewn around. The room has now become a shelter for canteen workers. The union room at Rama Devi Women’s University is now being used for other purposes. However, in some universities, the union offices remain unused for the last six years.
“The office at Sambalpur University has not been used since 2018 because there are no elected members of the students’ union,” said university vice-chancellor Bidhu Bhusan Mishra.
Tanmay Swain, former president of Utkal University Students’ Union, said student politics is an integral part of democracy and many politicians and successful personalities have emerged from it. “Campus elections are important in a democracy. They should be conducted every year. That’s why these offices should be renovated for smooth functioning,” Swain said.
He emphasised that universities should maintain these offices instead of abandoning them. “Authorities should take care of these office rooms until the elections are held,” he said.
The student body elections were cancelled in 2018 due to severe cyclone warnings. In Aug 2019, the govt decided not to conduct elections in colleges and universities “in the larger interest of the student community”. The following years did not see any student body elections due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Post-pandemic, no decision was taken on holding student union elections. Recently, law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan stated that the state govt will allow degree colleges and universities to hold union elections next year. He also mentioned that all necessary arrangements will be made in higher education institutions this year in preparation for the elections.
When contacted, Navaneeta Rath, PG Council chairperson at Utkal University, said they are yet to receive the letter from the govt regarding preparations for the campus poll. “We have not received any instructions to ready the student union office,” Rath said.
Siba Prasad Palai, a Berhampur University student, said the union room should be repaired before the campus election process begins. “We want to experience the student union elections. We are eagerly waiting for this,” Palai said.
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