Protest prompts Gauhati University to set up CM-student meet over fee hike

Guwahati: Massive protest in and around the Gauhati University campus, under the aegis of GU Post-Graduate Students’ Union (PGSU), demanding rollback of fees paralysed vehicular movement through the adjacent NH-17 on Monday night.The protest compelled university authority to facilitate talks between the student representatives and chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Since GU has to follow higher education department’s instructions regarding fee waiver, GU sources said the meeting with the CM will be crucial. However, the date of the meeting is yet to be fixed.Student blockade of NH-17 paralysed vehicular movement, putting travellers in trouble by bringing traffic to a halt for about three hours on Monday night. Many reportedly missed their flight on the way to the airport, while ambulances too had to wait for long.“This is for the information of all concerned that the fee structure of the ongoing FYIMP (Five Year Integrated Masters Programme) of Gauhati University hereby incorporates a fee waiver policy for eligible students in a prospective manner, subject to the fulfilment of the prescribed terms and conditions. The detailed guidelines and eligibility criteria will be notified shortly by university authorities,” a notification issued by the GU registrar on Tuesday evening read.This was in response to student protests demanding total fee waiver for BPL students, and for reduction of fees for rest of the students pursuing FYIMP. They alleged that the fees of FYIMP has been much higher that of other PG courses.The GU notification on Tuesday however said from 7th semester onwards, fee structure of the FYIMP students will be as per existing fee structure of PG programmes. “The existing fee structure will be re-vamped if govt provides a fee waiver scheme,” the notification added.