Jalpaiguri, Feb. 1: More than 200 students of Jalpaiguri Institute of Pharmacy resorted to an indefinite strike and confined the teachers, including the principal, to the staff room today, demanding immediate recruitment of teaching staff to the B. Pharm course.

The institution, which already had a diploma in pharmacy course, introduced a bachelor?s degree in the subject on August 18, 2003. It was formally inaugurated by the chief minister on January 15, 2004. Since then, there has been only one teacher in the department though students continued to be admitted to the B. Pharm course.

?We have only one teacher, instead of seven, for the B.Pharm course. It is not possible for one person to teach 122 students of the first and second year. Though the process of recruitment of four teachers has been completed, they are yet to join the institution. We have come to know from the health department that the finance department has not cleared the file department. The delay is affecting our studies. We have no other option but to go on an indefinite strike,? said Shibaji Santra, the general secretary of the SFI-controlled students? union.

?On September 16 last year, the health department advertised for teachers to be recruited to our institution. An interview was held on December 8, after which four teachers were selected. But till date, none of them has joined,? said Santra.

The students said since they pay Rs 12,000 annually for the self-financed course, they were entitled to better infrastructure.

They also alleged that there had been an anomaly in the mid-session payment of their fees last year.

The teachers, though confined to the staff room, supported the students? demands. ?The shortage of teachers in the B. Pharm course is indeed a problem which needs to be addressed at the earliest,? said Kaji Ekramul Haque, the principal-in-charge of the institute.