Sikkim Central University students stage protest alleging authority of failing to re-open canteen on scheduled time

The students staged protests shouting slogans such as-- "Registrar go back go back", "Our canteen our right", "Don't sit idle taking salaries from Government of India"

The students of Sikkim Central University today staged a massive protest against the University alleging the university authority of failing to re-open the centralised and subsidised canteen on the given time, install a sanitary napkin vending machine and other issues related to the students.

Around 2,200 students of the University have boycott classes and assembled in front of the Vice Chancellor’s office and staged protests shouting slogans such as– “Registrar go back go back”, “Our canteen our right”, “Don’t sit idle taking salaries from Government of India” etc.

The students have alleged the University authority of failing to re-open the centralised and subsidised canteen which was supposed to be re-open on May 8, 2023.

They demanded immidiate re-opening of the centralised and subsidised canteen.

Meanwhile, speaking to Northeast Live Professor Avinash Khare, VC, Sikkim University said that he failed to understand why the students staged a protest despite their demand has been met by the University.

Professor Avinash Khare said that the students were demanding the re-opening of a canteen close to the Library of the University since the previous canteen stopped functioning after Covid-19 hit the state.

He further said that the Univerity authority earlier informed the Sikkim University Students’ Association (SUSA) that a new location and vendor has been identified to build the new canteen, however on May 4, the plot’s owner who had previously agreed to rent it out to build the canteen has backed out, therefore the authority will open the canteen on May 11 instead of May 8.

“Since we do not have our own plot, the Sikkim Central University has been running in a rented building, therefore a new canteen has now been built around 500 metre away from the library and made functional from today. We have also urged the students to have lunch in the canteen,” he added.

The Vice Chancellor has also alleged that the studenst have been adding up their demands.

Adding that the new canteen is already centralised, he said that the question of providing subsidised food in the canteen does not arise as no university does that.

Also Read: Nearly 1,500 students from other NE states airlifted from trouble-torn Manipur

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