In India they openly promote of segregation, regionalism and ghettoes | JNU to have separate hostel for students of North East

The Times of India

JNU to have separate hostel for northeast students soon
TNN | Sep 6, 2013, 04.26 AM IST

ITANGAR: Clearing all hurdles for the construction of a 500-bed for northeast students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, the varsity authorities have finally identified land for the long awaited hostel.

The Northeast MPs Forum (NEMPF) has been urging the Centre for construction of the proposed hostel in order to cater to the needs of the rising number of students from this region pursuing career in the national capital.

JNU vice-chancellor Sudhir Kumar Sopory and other officials of the university accompanied by NEMPF secretary general Takam Sanjoy and Delhi Police joint commissioner Robin Hibu visited the varsity campus on Wednesday for demarcating the land for the ambitious project, official sources informed here on Thursday.

The project would serve as a panacea for NE students pursuing higher education in New Delhi.

Union DoNER ministry would provide Rs 95 crore for the hostel which will have 50 per cent reservation for the NE girl students.

In a representation to the VC, NEPMF chairman Mukut Mithi said the hostel should be named 'Subansiri Hostel' after the river in Arunachal Pradesh, and suggested co-opting JNU deputy registrar Anthony as liaison officer between the JNU and the NEMPF.

Delhi chief minister Shiela Dixit had given her consent to allot land for the hostel at a high-level meeting in All India Congress Committee (AICC) held under the chairmanship of Union minister Oscar Fernandez on July 16 last. The meeting was attended by DoNER minister Paban Singh Ghatowar, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki, his Meghalaya counterpart Mukul Sangma, Mukut Mithi and a host of AICC leaders and MPs form NE, including Sanjoy.

Dixit took up the matter with JNU vice-chancellor after Sanjoy wrote her a letter on July 27, following which the VC had consented to identify land for the purpose within the university campus.

With the allocation of land, it would now be the responsibility of the DoNER ministry to finalize the design and earmark fund to give the go-ahead signal, sources added.

It may be mentioned here that this was one of the commitments given by the Congress Party during the 2009 Delhi University Students' Union election.

"Most of the NE Students' Unions had extended their support to DUSU with this demand," Sanjoy added.

The Delhi-Arunachal Forum (DelAru), a voluntary organization of Arunachalees living in Delhi, had also placed the same demand with the state's MPs.