The Siliguri SDO (right) at the meeting. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Siliguri, June 15: Colleges in Siliguri have resolved to propose to North Bengal University to give another chance to those candidates who missed their exams because of strikes in the past one week. The varsity, however, did not give any assurance on the matter.

The institutions have also decided to extend the last dates of issuing and receiving applications for admissions to undergraduate courses till June 17 and 18, respectively.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the principals of four colleges in the Siliguri sub-division with the sub-divisional officer, Smita Pandey, and additional district magistrate Paritosh Roy this evening.

“Keeping in mind the extra-ordinary circumstances prevailing in Siliguri over the past one week, the colleges have decided to give students some more time to apply for admissions,” said Pandey.

“The decision to extend the dates was taken after a request from the administration and in keeping in mind the interests of the students,” said Ranajit Das, the principal of Kalipada Ghosh Terai Mahavidyalaya (Bagdogra College). “But the move will make it very difficult for us to start the new academic session on schedule.”

At the meeting, the heads of institutions also decided to prepare a list of candidates who were absent from the exams on the bandh days. “We will then approach the university to consider their cases in the same spirit that it had during the bandhs of June 5 and 6 (NBU had rescheduled the exams on these two dates because of the strikes by the CPM and the Trinamul Congress),” said Pandey.

Debashis Dutta, acting controller of examinations, NBU, said there were such requests from other colleges in the hills and plains too. “The university has not taken any decision on this,” he said.

“We will look into the matter, but it is not possible to commit anything now,” he added.

No representative from North Bengal University attended the meeting, which was called after several memorandums were submitted to Pandey by students on issues related to admissions and examinations.

Vice-chancellor Arunava Basumajumdar and registrar Dilip Sarkar were not available for comment.