Shillong, Oct. 5: The newly constituted students' union of the North Eastern Hill University (Nehu), in an attempt to project itself as a "progressive team", has questioned the university authorities over "poor management and malfunction".

Addressing reporters here today, the functionaries of Nehu Students' Union (Nehusu), who were elected last week for a one-year term, said they would give an appropriate response and reaction to poor management and malfunctioning by the university.

"As students' representatives, we need to question the authorities because we want our university to grow and shine. Our endeavour is to work for the welfare of students and bring forth advancement of the university which lacks in quality education, good faculty and infrastructure besides other facilities," Nehusu president Napoleon S. Mawphniang said.

The students' union wondered how the UGC had, a few years back, declared Nehu "a university with potential for excellence".

Nehu is a central university.

According to the National Institute Ranking Framework, declared and published by the HRD ministry, Nehu ranks 15th in university ranking.

Leaders of the student union said with the kind of facilities and education provided, Nehu doesn't deserve to get 100th rank also.

They said they would soon submit petitions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and HRD minister Prakash Javadekar on its present state of affairs.

The union has decided to constitute a standing committee comprising representatives from various ethnic groups among students in the university.

Stating that the student union has to transform itself to achieve its full potential, Mawphniang said to cater to the needs of over 5,000 Nehu students, Nehusu would form sub-committees.

"The standing committee is imperative to incorporate cultural awareness and transform Nehusu into a culturally-competent union," Mawphniang said, adding that it would also follow up with the authorities all pending demands put forward by the previous union such as proper facilities in hostels, library and conveyance.

He also promised to take up issues plaguing the university such as infrastructure, frequent changes of vice-chancellors and vacancies.

The editor of the union's mouthpiece, News Letter, and final year MA (English) student, Nikita C.D. Synrem, said she would take the initiative to constitute a women's cell of the union and work together with the women's cell of the university on issues like gender sensitisation. It will also listen to grievances of female students, especially crimes related to women on the campus.

"The women's cell of the students will help the women's cell constituted by the university," Synrem said.

The union's committees would include a finance and audit committee to ensure transparency in the functioning and financial transactions of the union.

Mawphniang, while asserting that the union is interested only in academics and not in politics, said: "Students must be empowered to raise their voices. We want to revive student activism at Nehu to bring about changes. Students have so far been subservient to a flawed system."