Bhubaneswar, Aug. 1: Students of Sardar Rajas Medical College at Jaring in Kalahandi district have launched an indefinite strike since Thursday, demanding proper infrastructure facilities and filling up of teacher vacancies.
The students have complained that the medical college has failed to meet any of the criteria as laid down by the Medical Council of India.
The college with 100 MBBS seats does not have a single permanent faculty and part-time teachers take the classes, said a student. It also lacks a laboratory and library.
"With no doctors or operational hospital, we get to learn nothing here as there is no practical lessons. Is this how medics of the state should be trained? What are we going to learn this way?" said a student requesting anonymity.
The council had allowed admissions to 100 seats in the college in 2013-14.
But, it cancelled its admissions in 2014-15, citing inadequate infrastructure.
However, the college authorities challenged the council order and filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court following which it was allowed to admit students in September last year.
The court had asked the college authorities to fill the infrastructure gap and directed the council to visit the college within three months - which it did in February. Around 24 students took admission following this order. This was the second batch of the medical college.
The students have also pleaded for the state government's intervention.
While college officials remained unavailable for comments, a state government official said they would be taking appropriate action.
"The government will study the situation and take appropriate action," said joint director of the medical education and training Umakanta Sathpathy.
The college is owned by the Selvam Charitable Trust, which had signed an MoU with the Western Odisha Development Council in 2004 to set up the college at Jaring. After several attempts, the college got permission from the council to admit students in 2013-14.
Allegations were also raised that the college authorities had manipulated records and adopted unfair means to get the council nod for admissions, following which in February, a CBI team raided the college and seized several admission and infrastructure related documents.
