Letters to the EDITOR: Gauhati University: Protests over Purpose

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Gauhati University: Protests over Purpose

The recent controversy at Gauhati University, where students protested against Vice Chancellor Dr Nani Gopal Mahanta over an administrative swap and the removal of Exam Controller Kandarpa Sarma, underscores a troubling trend: a growing obsession with campus movements over academic priorities. While student activism can drive change, the intensity and frequency of such protests at Gauhati University suggest a misalignment of focus that risks undermining the university’s core mission of education.

The uproar began with allegations of misconduct by Sarma, escalating into demonstrations outside the VC’s office on March 27, 2025. Students, led by the Postgraduate Students’ Union, demanded accountability, but the situation spiralled into chaos, with Mahanta facing heckling despite attempts to engage the protestors. This follows a pattern, recalling last year’s marksheet scam protests, where student outrage, though justified, often drowned out constructive dialogue. Such recurring disruptions raise the question – are students prioritizing protest over progress? Education at Gauhati University, a premier institution in the Northeast, should be the bedrock of student life. Yet, these movements, however well-intentioned, divert energy from scholarship to sloganeering. The VC’s efforts to address grievances were met with hostility, suggesting a deeper issue of trust, but also a refusal to engage beyond confrontation. This risks turning a learning hub into a battleground, eroding academic rigour for short-term wins. Critically, students must balance activism with their primary role as learners. Movements can amplify voices, but when they overshadow studies, they produce graduates better versed in rallies than research. GU’s legacy, from its founding by Krishna Kanta Handiqui, demands a recommitment to intellectual pursuit over perpetual protest. Education, not agitation, should define its future lest students inherit a degree of dissent without substance.

Chandan Kumar Nath

Sorbhog, Barpeta

Earthquake fears and precautions

The news headline article, 'At least 144 dead as earthquake rattles Myanmar and Thailand', published in your esteemed daily on Saturday, March 29, has shocked and rendered speechless everyone, as the news item is accompanied by the devastating photos of a high rise under construction collapsing in Bangkok when the tremors of a 7.7-magnitude quake were felt across the region, killing at least eight and leaving over a hundred missing, following which the Thai capital has been declared a disaster area. Fear looms large, and this fear gets intensified after this major happening as each earthquake shakes our Northeastern region. What surprises everyone is that we can know in advance about the weather, monsoons, rainfall, storms and cyclones through the Indian Meteorological Department and its robust technologies, but in the case of earthquakes, there has been no technological breakthrough to predict their occurrence in advance. People the world over would heave sighs of relief when predictions of earthquakes in advance become a reality. Till then, we have to keep our fingers crossed. But here a pertinent question arises: why can we not remain alert and be prepared to face the eventuality? We should not be surprised when it is said that earthquakes do not kill. It is the non-engineered buildings, lack of disaster-resilient infrastructure and poor town and city planning that play a crucial role in killing people in large numbers during earthquakes of high magnitude.

Now, let us focus on Guwahati, the gateway to the Northeast region. Laws have been put in place by the GMC/GMDA to regulate the construction of high-rise buildings and flats. The main purpose is to protect the lives and properties of dwellers in the flats and houses while maintaining the aesthetic beauty of the city as a whole. What is the more worrying aspect is that many buildings are built in the city without easy accessibility for the free movement of a fire tender. Most buildings do not even have fire-fighting arrangements as well. We must remember that design alone cannot make a beautiful building. The most important factor is soil investigation of the area where buildings are proposed to be built in the first step, followed by load-bearing capacity of the soil, which is to be made available to the designer, who will then decide the type of foundation, shape and size of the building where construction activities are being carried out. Other factors to achieve the building's designed strength depend on the quality of material used, such as TMT bars, cement, sand, stone chips and water. Curing (watering), which plays a vital role in achieving proper strength for any construction, needs to be started 12-14 hours after casting, brickwork and plastering, and it needs to be continued for 15 to 20 days to acquire better strength. Contractors need to follow the norms. What is needed is inspection and quality control right from procurement of construction materials to implementation of the job. The GMC/GMDA need to engage their experienced officials for inspection and quality control of apartment structures that are built by private builders and government agencies. Unless the unsafe buildings are razed to the ground, there will always remain fear of earthquakes in the minds of the people. The sooner the concerned authorities play a big role, the better it is for the residents to live safely and happily in Guwahati.

Iqbal Saikia

Guwahati.