Hill varsity VC appt lauded- Dr Rajendra Prasad Dhakal, the Principal of Kalimpong College, and Dr Shanti Chettri, the Principal of the PD Women's College, Jalpaiguri, were appointed the vice-chancellors of two universities--Darjeeling Hill University, and Alipurduar University

SNS, SILIGURI, 20 DECEMBER 2020: Congratulatory messages flooded social media yesterday and today after two Gorkha intellectuals, Dr Rajendra Prasad Dhakal, the Principal of Kalimpong College, and Dr Shanti Chettri, the Principal of the PD Women's College, Jalpaiguri, were appointed the vice-chancellors of two universities--Darjeeling Hill University, and Alipurduar University--respectively, for the first time in West Bengal.

"Today is a historic day as we got two Gorkha vice-chancellors in north Bengal in one day," Chairman of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Anit Thapa said in his Facebook post yesterday.

Earlier in the day, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar took to Twitter to announce the appointment of Mr Dhakal and Dr Chettri.

"Dr Rajendra Prasad Dhakal, principal, Kalimpong College, is appointed as first vice-chancellor of the Darjeeling Hill University, for a period of four years or till he attains the age of sixty-five years, under section 64(4) of Darjeeling Hills University Act, 2018," Mr Dhankhar wrote.

Last year, governor Dhankar had given a nod to the Greenfield University (Amendment) Bill, 2019, owing to which the Darjeeling Hill University, set up at Jogighat in Mungpo, earlier named as The Greenfield University, had been renamed as The Darjeeling Hill University.

"Prof Dr Shanti Chettri, principal, PD Women's College, Jalpaiguri, is appointed as first vice-chancellor of Alipurduar University, for a period of four years or till he attains the age of sixty-five years...," Mr Dhankar added.

"Thank you Ms Mamata Banerjee, Hon'ble Chief Minister of West Bengal and Mr Partha Chatterjee, MIC for Higher Education, Government of West Bengal.I extend my heartiest congratulations to Prof Dhakal and Dr Shanti Chettri for their new assignment," Mr Thapa wrote.

He further said, "I have full trust on your leadership that Darjeeling Hill University and Alipurduar will reach greater heights." According to Mr Thapa, they had promised the Darjeeling people a separate university for the hills, which has been a demand since 1955, and that they have given the people the same before the elections.