Quota call at hill college

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 15 Jun 2019,  Darjeeling: Hill students have demanded that the Bengal government reserve seats for local students at Darjeeling Government College (DGC). .

Students from the hills are apprehensive that seats in honours courses would mostly be filled by non-locals because of the online admission process. .

Dipika Mukhia, the general secretary of the students' council of the colleges, said: “We fear that most of the seats in the honours courses would be filled up by non-locals. .

Many local students who have obtained even 80 per cent in Class XII have not found their names in the first list that was released a few days back.” The students' demand is based on the fact that North Bengal University reserves 60 per cent of the postgraduate seats for students from NBUaffiliated colleges. .

“If NBU can reserve 60 per cent of the seats for students from their affiliated colleges, why cant 60 to 80 per cent of the seats in Darjeeling Government College be reserved for local students?” asked Alfance Subba, a college student. .

The students have decided to write to education minister Partha Chatterjee. .

An NBU official confirmed the reservation in postgraduate courses. .

“All state universities adopts a similar reservation policy in Bengal,” the official added. .

The hill students are of the opinion that many students from economically weaker families cannot afford to send their wards out of Darjeeling. .

“The fees structure of a government college is much lower that other self-financed colleges,” said Mukhia. .

An academic from the hills said: “Since colleges have come up in most parts of the state, it is only valid that some reservation should be given to the local students.” Rabsay Rai, assistant general secretary of the DGC, held a separate media conference in Darjeeling on Friday. .

“The general secretary, whose has already graduated from college, should not make unilateral statements. .

Parents and students should not panic thinking that locals might not get admitted in DGC. We are confident that more locals will see their names in the second and third lists,” said Rai. .

Classes are scheduled to begin in the first week of July. .

There are 745 honours seats in Darjeeling Government College and a similar number of seats in the general course. .

The assistant general secretary of the students' council, however, said that they had no objection to the reservation demand. .

Bail for Gurung aides B.P. Bajgain, spokesman of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (Bimal Gurung camp), R.P.Waiba, vice-president of the faction, and six other people who were booked in several cases were granted bail on Friday. .

“B.P. Bajgain had been booked in three cases, one related to entry into a government building and assaulting civic police, manhandling of Darjeeling civic and forging a signature of a municipality commissioner. He was granted bail in all the cases by the chief judicial magistrate's court,” said Pankaj Prasad, assistant public prosecutor. .

Sources said Waiba, who was arrested in a 2017 case, was granted bail by district session court..