CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: The Niksamso Garo Community Organization (NGCO) has come down heavily on the North-Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA), accusing it of playing “obstructionist politics” and jeopardising the long-overdue infrastructural and academic advancement of North-Eastern Hill University’s Tura Campus.
The NGCO, in a strongly worded statement, said it has been closely following the developments surrounding NEHU and expressed alarm at what it described as NEHUTA’s “deliberate strategy to stall” Executive Council (EC) meetings, which are crucial for the approval and execution of projects funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. “The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, has already released an amount of ?45 crores in the first phase for these projects, along with specific guidelines and conditions to ensure timely completion. Any delay in holding EC meetings jeopardizes these much-needed initiatives and undermines the academic and infrastructural growth of Tura Campus,” the statement read.
The organization also denounced NEHUTA’s earlier allegation of an “Rs 94 crore scam” at Tura Campus, saying, “Recently, NEHUTA issued a press release alleging a so-called ‘Rs 94 crore scam’ in Tura Campus without presenting even an iota of evidence. These allegations were strongly refuted by the then Director of Tura Campus, Prof. S. Gurudev. After his clarification, NEHUTA fell silent, giving no explanation or substantiation of its earlier claims.”
The NGCO further took exception to NEHUTA’s move to declare Vice-Chancellor Prof. P. S. Shukla as “persona non grata,” terming it as divisive and unrepresentative of stakeholders in the Garo Hills. “NEHUTA is not the custodian of the entire State of Meghalaya, nor does it represent the collective will of all stakeholders of NEHU. None of the organizations, student bodies, or civil society groups from the Garo Hills region have endorsed NEHUTA’s divisive stand. On the contrary, the people of Garo Hills are keen to see Tura Campus flourish as a centre of higher learning and opportunity for tribal youth,” the NGCO asserted.
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