Biju Patnaik University of Technology in Rourkela

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 3: The Biju Patnaik University of Technology’s directive asking its constituent colleges to set up their own grievance cells has baffled students because it goes against orders passed by the department of technical education last week.

The varsity has asked the colleges to set up the cells on their respective campuses and address the grievances of students and employees following regulations of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi. It has also instructed the colleges to intimate the varsity about the name of the persons nominated for the cell by February 7.

The directive issued by the department had asked the university authorities to set up a grievance redressal forum each at Rourkela and Bhubaneswar and launch toll-free numbers through which students could register their complaints.

“The cell should function round the year and the grievances are required to be addressed with immediate effect,” secretary of the technical education department Chandra Sekhar Kumar had said. Students argued that the university’s order was “misleading” and that it would defeat the purpose of the grievance helpline.

“By handing over the responsibility of addressing students’ grievances to the colleges, the university is diluting the process. If college authorities were so honest and efficient, there would never have been so many complaints and students would not commit suicide,” said Samapta, an engineering student.

Biju Patnaik University of Technology registrar B.L. Agrawal said the idea behind issuing the directive was to solve the problems at the college-level first. “In case it is not sorted out, the university grievance redressal forum will intervene,” he said.

Students argued that the varsity was trying to delay the process of redressal by assigning colleges to sort out problems initially.

“All colleges already have a students’ corner where we can file our complaints but that rarely works. We want nothing less than a grievance cell at the university level,” said Dwarika, another student.

The idea of starting such a cell was mooted after a student of a private engineering college killed himself for allegedly not being allowed to take the semester examination for because he failed to pay the college fees.

The incident had triggered criticism from various quarters, especially student groups, who had launched a series of agitations demanding the setting up of a grievance cell and action against the erring institute.

The technical education department has ordered a crime branch inquiry into the case.