The Khariar town in Nuapada district witnessed two agitations, one by students and another by lawyers, on Monday. While students of the Khariar College resorted to a demonstration at the college gate demanding increase in the seats in +3 Science class from 64 to 256 seats, lawyers staged a protest meeting seeking sub-division status to Khariar and setting up a civil-judge court as well.
Fifty-eight out of 560 students were called to take admission in the +3 Science 1st year classes on Monday, the first day of this academic session. But only six students of them were locals.
Angered over this, students locked the main gate of the college and sat in demonstration, obstructing the selected students to take admission in all +3 streams.
“We would not allow the admission process to run if the number of seats in +3 Science is not increased,” said the agitating students.
Not a single admission was allowed on the first day. Meanwhile, the Khariar College authorities informed that they have already sent a proposal for the increase in +3 Science seats to the Higher Education Department.
“We have sent a proposal to the Department informing that we would accommodate the increased number of students within the present infrastructural facilities. But the Government is yet to respond,” said SS Panda, Principal of the college.
It is learnt that the Department has already studied the situation through the Regional Director, Sambalpur, and it has been agreed in principle that the number would be increased. When contacted over phone, Department Secretary Gagan Dhala said the decision to increase the number has already been taken and the matter would be intimated to the college soon.
On the other hand, members of the Khariar Bar Association locked the gates of the Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class and the Tehsil office and sat in demonstration demanding subdivision status to Kharia and a civil judge court here.
They argued that more than 60 per cent of civil cases come from Khariar, Sinapali and Boden blocks, which are under the jurisdiction of Khariar JMFC. There is no dearth of infrastructural facilities at Khariar. The advocates submitted a memorandum, addressed to the Chief Minister, to Khariar Tehsildar.