Odisha Homeopathic students’ strike enters fourth day

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Aug 25, 2014 at 10:14 PM Updated On : Aug 25, 2014 at 10:47 PM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Brahmapur, Aug 25:

Students of the Biju Patnaik Homeopathic College at Brahmapur in Odisha’s Ganjam district continued with their strike demanding filling up of vacant teaching and non-teaching posts in the college.

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The students strike entered its fourth day today. Striking students have however, rejected government’s decision to fill up vacant posts through contractual appointments.

“No contractual teachers we want permanent teachers”, said Pranakrushna Sahu, a student.

The inpatient department of the medical college has almost stopped functioning in absence of staff, said sources.

The students are peeved over the indifference of the authorities despite the fact that a circular was issued by the state Directorate of Ayush to the district collector Ganjam, saying that a decision has been taken to fill up vacant posts of professors and readers in all government homeopathic medical colleges of the state.

But the vacancy position remains unchanged.

Biju Patnaik Homeopathic College at Brahmapur happens to be the oldest homeopathic college of the state and yet it does not have the requisite number of teachers and non-teaching staff.

Out of 36 teaching posts there are only seven teachers in the college. While all the eight professor posts are lying vacant there is only one reader against 14 reader posts and just six lecturers against 15 lecturer posts.

There is not a single teacher in Anatomy, Pharmacy, Pathology, Repertory and Community Medicine departments of the college.

“The Directorate of Ayush of the state government through a letter has informed to soon fill up vacancies through contractual appointments”, said Dr Nibedita Dash, principal, Biju Patnaik Homeopathic College.

The circular however doesn’t mention how soon teaching and non-teaching vacancies will be filled up, said sources.

Local people and parents of the students have demanded immediate steps by the government to fill up vacancies at the earliest in the interest of students and academic wellbeing of the medical college.