Shillong, Sept 22: Peeved at failure to meet several demands put up by the students of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), the Khasi Students’ Union, NEHU Unit, on Thursday locked the office of the Vice Chancellor.

The members of the KSU NEHU Unit gathered at the administration building and locked the office of the VC of NEHU Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla; preventing him from entering, which also led to a heated argument. They also demanded face to face dialogue with him to discuss various issues of the students and the university as a whole.

The students’ union put up several demands to the VC – shortage of faculties, lack of transportation for students, health care and poor maintenance of hostels facilities besides many others.

The general secretary of KSU-NEHU, Shibaitlang Rymbai, informed the media personnel that the University is in urgent need of faculties as the university is incapability of filling up of the various vacancies which has adversely affected the student community as a whole.

“Students from various departments have yet to attend classes on some papers due to non-availability of such faculties even though the semester started almost two months ago,” Rymbai pointed out.

He informed that even though the guest faculties’ recruitment is under process but it is moving at a slow pace, putting students at disadvantage.

He also alleged that due to the insufficiency of university buses, there is congestion in the limited buses which again has affected the students, especially those who rely solely on the university bus service to commute to the university.

He further added that health care facilities in the university lack quality medicines and students are forced to buy medicines from outside the campus, which has affected the students especially those hailing from low income family background.

When it comes to hostel facilities, Rymbai alleged that the hostels are in pathetic condition and require immediate intervention to cater to the needs of the students from far flung areas of the state and outside the state.

“Though the maintenance processes are underway, yet the sluggish rate at which it is being processed puts the students at a disadvantage and borders have been facing hardships and difficulty in studying and staying in the hostel and this will impede their academic activities,” he said.

Rymbai further announced that the union has given one week’s time to the VC to address the plight of the students and the university as a whole for the betterment of the student’s community.