Siliguri, 22nd August: Students at North Bengal University (NBU) have staged a protest demanding better drinking water facilities, chanting “Jal Nei, Jal Chai” (no water, want water).
Reportedly, the protest, which took place on Thursday, was driven by ongoing issues with the water supply at the Ramakrishna Hostel, where students have been facing a shortage of drinking water for the past six months.
In response to their grievances going unaddressed, the students locked the entrance gates and administrative buildings of the university and later protested outside the registrar’s office. They also highlighted additional problems, including a broken bathroom door and repeated failures to resolve the issue despite multiple complaints to the hostel superintendent.
Acting Registrar Debashish Dutta addressed the situation, stating that an emergency meeting was held on Wednesday to discuss the Ramakrishna Hostel’s issues. He announced that two drinking water machines would be installed immediately, with more to follow within the next week. Dutta also assured that the problems reported by the students would be resolved through a visit to the hostels.