Leading nowhere: The main gate of K.K. Handique Government Sanskrit College. Picture by Pranab Kumar Nath

Jan. 25: The K.K. Handique Government Sanskrit College, the only one of its kind in the entire state, is now in its death throes.

Years of government neglect have left the college gasping for life. It does not have a permanent principal, there is a shortage of teaching staff and a fund crisis is staring the educational institution in the face.

As cancellation of classes becomes the order of the day, many of the students have already dropped out of the college.

From some 150 students a couple of years back, the total number now stands at 76. ?Since we don?t have teachers for seven subjects, many students have left the college. More will follow soon if things do not change for the better,? acting college principal Deepali Buzarbaruah said.

Though there is a total of 14 sanctioned posts for teachers, eight are vacant for several years. As of now, the college has one English teacher, two history teachers and one each for Assamese, philosophy and literature. Despite being a Sanskrit college, there are no teachers to take classes in important subjects such as the Vedas, Vedanta, Dharmashastra and Panini grammar.

After a great deal of delay, the Assam Public Service Commission conducted interviews for recruitment of teachers in May last year. But this, too, was jinxed after a candidate for the post moved court. Since then, the recruitment process has been grounded.

The college, spread over 25 bighas of land at Jalukbari, was set up in 1970 after a law was passed. Sanskrit scholar Dimeswar Sarma was appointed its principal.

Since 1981, however, the higher education department of the state government has not bothered to appoint a permanent principal nor taken any steps for developing the college. The two principals in charge of the college have retired in the interregnum.

Dispur last sanctioned nearly Rs 40 lakh to the public works department in March 1993 for constructing the college building. Former chief minister Hiteswar Saikia even laid the foundation, but the building has not been completed yet.

The contractor engaged by the PWD suspended work after constructing only the plinth area. As a result, the college is still functioning from a building intended to be used as students? hostel.

As the college does not have a library, rare books and valuable manuscripts worth several lakhs of rupees are stacked unattended in two small rooms. A sizeable segment of the campus has been encroached upon.

?If this continues, the day is not far away when the institution will have to be closed,? former college teacher Prafulla Goswami predicted.