Balangir: The alumni association of Rajendra College here has decided to extend every support to the demand of making the institution a unitary university.

In a meeting of the association on Monday evening, members of the association expressed concern over the large-scale vacancies of lecturers at the college and decided to send a delegate to meet the higher education minister and other officials concerned to voice their demand for posting lecturers at the college.

President of the alumni association Lalit Nayak said it was important to revive the academic atmosphere at the college. "It is essential to have a good study atmosphere at the college. The college is crippled by shortage of staff and the issue must be addressed before the visit of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) team to the college," Nayak said.

Balangir legislator and leader of Opposition in the Assembly Narasingha Mishra and Patnagarh legislator K.V. Singhdeo raised the issue of Rajendra College in the Assembly. Studies have been hit at Rajendra College, the oldest college in west Odisha, for want of lecturers. Despite repeated requests by the students, the government has not paid heed to their demands. The once famous Rajendra College, now an autonomous college, is now crippled. The college only has 29 lecturers to take graduation, postgraduation and MPhil classes as against the sanctioned strength of 75. Of the 29 lecturers, two will retire in the next two months. Many departments are left with just one or two lecturers. The college is now largely dependent on ad-hoc teachers and guest faculties. The college doesn't have a regular principal for several years now.

Raising the issue in the Assembly, Balangir legislator Narasingha Mishra said: "It is due to the shortage of required number of lecturers that the college has failed to get the A+ grade from NAAC. The government must ensure posting of staff and A+ grade from NAAC, which is necessary for any institution to become university."