*CUK students protest fee hike, block campus access**
Cite inadequate infrastructure, demand involvement in decision-making processes*
Waris Fayaz
Srinagar, Jul 02 (KNO): Amidst scorching heat, students at Central University of Kashmir staged a protest on Tuesday against the recent hike in semester fees. The protesting students blocked all access points to the main campus, halting academic and administrative activities.According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the protest rocked the university’s main campus in Tulmulla early in the morning as students gathered to voice their displeasure over the increased financial burden.Students chanted slogans like “Hum Toh Apna Haq Maangtey, Nahi Kisi Se Bheek Maangtey” and held placards, demanding an immediate rollback of the fee hike.
The university administration’s decision to raise the semester fees is unacceptable, the protestors said.”We are not against the university, but we oppose the fee hike. Why should students pay double when their seniors pay less? Before making any decision, the university should involve students in discussions to decide the appropriate scale of the hike,” Mubashir, a student from the Physics department, said.”Despite being centrally funded, the university has inadequate infrastructure. It lacks essential hostel facilities, which are much needed.
The claims of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ are falling flat here, with women students being forced to take rented accommodation outside,” Wani, a student from the Department of Law, said.Similarly, Vinod Kumar Pandey, another student, expressed his disappointment, saying that they fail to understand on what basis the university administration is hiking the fees when they have nothing to show for it. “
Universities established in late 2009 have much better facilities than this one. This university has inadequate water facilities, no sports infrastructure, no computer lab, and other essential amenities,” Kumar said.Similar concerns were raised by students from other departments, including IT and Journalism. The protesting students said they have been raising their voices earlier as well, but they went unheard. “We had no choice but to take this drastic step to ensure our voices are heard,” they said.
Meanwhile, after visiting the protest site and attempting to pacify the students, Dean of Legal Studies and Chief Proctor Farooq Ahmed Mir said, “The administration is looking into the matter and will soon make a decision.
We urge you to call off the protest until a decision is reached.””We are looking into it, and the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof A Ravinder Nath, is going to chair a meeting in this regard tomorrow,” a top administrative official at the university told KNO—(KNO)
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