Students of BPUT burn tyres on MG Road to demand creation of a placement cell at their varsity. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 1: Engineering students of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) today staged protests here and in Rourkela reiterating their longstanding demand for a central placement cell.

The students, under the banner of BPUT Students’ Association, burnt tyres at Master Canteen Square in Bhubaneswar and Ring Road in Rourkela and raised slogans in support of their demand.

“Till now, not a single student has been placed through the university, which is a matter of concern. Apart from a central placement cell, job fairs need to be arranged from time to time in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela,” said Biplab Prakash Mohanty, BPUT Students’ Protection Council member.

The agitating students in Rourkela said that setting up a students’ facilitation centre on the permanent campus of BPUT in Rourkela was important so that they could air their grievances. They also demanded that their first and third semester results be declared and backlog exams be conducted without further delay.

“Even the results of the eighth semester exams are pending. Publishing incomplete or erroneous results within a month and taking credit for the same is not at all acceptable,” said Smruti Ranjan Das, president of the association (Rourkela zone).

They also pressed for quality education and appointment of qualified teachers to colleges imparting technical education.

“Only installing CCTV cameras on campuses are not enough to ensure quality teaching. The faculty members should be made to undergo teacher-training programmes or be groomed by expert faculty from various IITs and national Institute of Technology,” said Tarun Pattnaik, another member.

BPUT authorities said steps were in place to streamline the functioning of the university and address grievances of students. “We have already decided to start an online grievance disposal system through which students can file their complaints online and we will solve their issues within a fortnight. An academic calendar has been worked out so that exams are conducted and results are published on time,” said a university official.

On July 30, technical education minister Pratap Keshari Deb announced that a slew of reformatory measures for BPUT would be taken up. They include reducing the vice-chancellor’s tenure from five to three years, appointing technical education minister as pro-chancellor, bureaucrats as registrar, setting up grievance cell for students and having a fixed date for exams and publication of results.

The proposal will be placed before the cabinet during the monsoon session of the state Assembly for approval.