The student-placement scenarios at the seven-year-old Central University of South Bihar (CUSB) and the 99-year-old Patna University offer a study in contrast.

Companies like the Azim Premji Foundation and Piramal Foundation are recruiting from the Centre-run CUSB, while at the state-run Patna University students are protesting for the past four days demanding better infrastructure and placement facilities.

The placement procedure at the CUSB - which has around 1,000 students studying in 21 departments: 16 postgraduate departments, four undergraduate departments and a one-year vocational course - started last month and will go on till June.

"Companies have recruited more students this year," said Mohammed Mudassir Alam, CUSB placement cell coordinator. "Last year, Care India hired six students while the number has gone up to 12 this year."

Similarly the Piramal Foundation, which offered its Gandhi Fellowship to one CUSB student last year, has this year offered it to six students. The Azim Premji Foundation has shortlisted 20 students based on written examinations and interviews. The final result is yet to be declared.

CUSB officials say companies are coming because the university offers good infrastructure. The mass communication department has done exceptionally well this year. Already, 10 out of its 20 students have got placement offers.

"The mass communication department at CUSB has its own website," said Ravi Prakash Gupta, a final-year mass communication student. "The campus has Wi-fi facility and online books for are available for students."

Ravi, who graduated from Vinoba Bhave University Hazaribag (Jharkhand), added: "As mass communication students we have our own media lab where we bring out our lab journals, which is like a magazine where students carry out all the work from reporting to editing articles."

Wali Shabina, CUSB student who graduated from Patna Women's College, said: "As part of the course, students have to carry out field reporting and the exposure helps them in campus interviews as well."

At Patna University, the state's oldest university which has around 22,000 students, the picture is grim. The varsity does not even have a placement cell.

Pro vice-chancellor R.K. Verma said: "The placement cell is defunct for years but the university is planning to revive it soon."

Sources said the cell is not functioning mainly because of shortage of teachers.

Tariq Anwar, a final-year student of mass communication and journalism at Patna University, said: "The department lacks infrastructure. The administration turns a blind eye when there are demands made by students to upgrade the existing facilities." He said the lack of infrastructure was the reason why companies, NGOs and media houses were not visiting the campus for recruitment.