BPUT students strike continues

BHUBANESWAR: The engineering colleges under the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) continued to remain partially closed for the fourth consecutive day after the students went on strike after the results of many students were withheld.  The students of BPUT had called for a strike as the results of the fifth and seventh semesters have not been declared yet. Around 2,000 students are awaiting their results which have been withheld. Generally, the results are declared within one and a half months after the conclusion of the semesters. But the students are yet to receive any notification regarding the results.  The BPUT officials are reportedly passing the buck claiming that the fault lies with the colleges for not declaring the results. The individual colleges are in turn alleging that the BPUT had withheld the results. “The answer-sheets for the semesters in question have not been evaluated yet as per some of the officials,” said one of the agitating students. The results of the papers that were sent for re-evaluation have also been delayed. The delay in the results can hamper the prospects for the students who want to go for advanced studies. The students applying for higher studies usually do so during their seventh semester exams. “This amounts to a lot of mental pressure for the students as well as their families,” said another student whose result has not been declared yet. The students are not allowing the college buses to ply across the city. They have stationed themselves at major places in the city to stop the bus movements. With most of the students not being able to reach the colleges, their functioning has come to a standstill. The students might intensify  their agitation if the results are not declared soon. With the eighth semester exams approaching and the students not knowing their last semester’s result, they are under severe mental pressure.