The Uttarakhand Technical University has bowed to students' demand and decided to conduct special back paper examination for those who failed in their various semester examinations under back year system adopted by the university in 2009.

Under back year system, students are not promoted to their advance semester if they fail to secure pass marks in four theory and two practical papers.

However, between 2006 and 2009, the university had adopted carry over system wherein students studying in various engineering courses had to complete their degree within seven years after their enrolment and students failing in this period were considered not fit for technical education.

Recently, around 500 students pursuing various BTech degree courses from various affiliated colleges of this university who had failed in their various semester examinations had protested under the banner of National Students' Union of India (NSUI) outside the university campus for around 10 days in support of their demand for back paper examinations for back year students and implementation of carry over system.

Under carry over system, students were demanding that the university should promote BTech, BPharma and llB students to the next semester and they should be allowed to appear in back papers free of cost.

The students had alleged that the university had not informed the students about their result declared in July. According to them, they had already submitted fee for next examination.

Moreover, Rajpur Road MlA Rajkumar and Congress leader Saket Bahuguna had reached the protest site and supported their demands. later, Bahuguna had talked to the university officials and requested them to take appropriate steps for redressal of students' grievances soon.

University deputy registrar Dr Ashish Uniyal said that taking cognisance of students' concerns, the university has decided on Monday to conduct back paper examinations for those students who failed in one or two semester examinations.

Students have been directed to report to the university about papers of particular semester in which they will appear in their examination along with the current session students of semester I-III-V-VII scheduled to be held in the first week of February 2014. Those who failed in semesters II-IV-VI-VIII will appear with current session students of same degree in the month of June next year, he added.

Uniyal further said that the Uttarakhand Technical University, Dehradun was established in January 2005 by Government of Uttarakhand through the Uttarakhand Technical University Act 2005. The university is spreading technical education in the remote mountainous areas of Uttarakhand.

The University is the only affiliating University of the State running various private and Government institutions. With 50, 000 students in various courses, the university has four constituent colleges namely Women's Institute of Technology (WIT), Dehradun; THDC Institute of Hydro Power Engineering and Technology, Tehri; Seemant Institute of Technology, Pithoragarh and Uttarakhand Institute of Technology Gopeshwar, Chamoli and two government colleges -- GB Pant Engineering College, Pauri and Kumaon Institute of Technology, Dwarahat. Around 78 private colleges are affiliated with this university, he added.

Uniyal further said that the university is facilitating technical education through its progress monitored each semester, part time PhD programme especially designed for the teachers and scientists by giving them opportunity to explore the untouched areas of the research.

The university is running MTech and MPharma programme in various disciplines.Students can undergo various professional courses BTech on various branches like Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Civil

Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Communication Engineering, Industrial Production Engineering, Information Technology Mechanical engineering, Mechanical engineering and and other professional courses like BPharma, BArch, BHMCT, llB, BA-llB, BBA-llB and M Tech in Bio-Technology, M Tech in Computer Science Engineering, M Tech in Digital Signal Processing, M Tech. in Digital Communication, MTech in Thermal Engineering and others, the deputy registrar added.