Hired private buses in queue to ferry students and staff to NU Kohima Campus Meriema on May 1. (Morung Photo)
Hiring private buses cost NU Kohima campus Rs. 4 lakh per month
Chizokho Vero
Meriema | May 1
Nagaland University (NU) Kohima Campus Meriema has only two buses of its own. In addition, ten private buses are hired every working day from Kohima town to Meriema, the monthly total expenditure for which comes to Rs. 4, 14,000 per month. This was communicated to NU Chancellor Prof. D.N. Buragohain during his visit to the campus today through a hand-out on a brief profile of the campus.
NU Kohima Campus, Meriema is 10 km from state capital Kohima. It is learnt that there are no staff quarters and hostels at Meriema at present; all the staff and students have to travel from Kohima town to Meriema either by their own vehicles or by hired private buses. More than 500 students are compelled to travel daily by hired private buses which cause extreme difficulties for effective management of academic routine.
Besides, total amount for hiring of six private buildings in Kohima town comes to Rs. 2,99,169, it said adding that this extra expenditure burden can be stopped only when its requirement of buildings have been constructed at its permanent campus in Meriema.
At present NU Kohima Campus Meriema has 37 faculty members and 145 non-teaching staff. The intake students capacity in six PG departments are 15 in Geology, 50 each in the department of Commerce, Education, English, Tenyidie and 55 in History & Archaeology. In addition, there are M. Phil and Ph.D. scholars.
Presently, staff and faculty members are being housed in 29 quarters in and around the city including in private quarters. These 29 quarters were inherited from NEHU given by the state government during the initial period of establishment of a NEHU campus in Kohima since the late seventies. All these quarters are in deplorable condition, in need of immediate repairing/renovation as they were constructed 30-40 years back, and remain without proper maintenance. They are scattered in different locations in Kohima town such as High School area, Kohima Science college area, agri-forest colony and Chandmari, now occupied by NU staffs.
As part of the first phase of infrastructural development of the campus, library building, PG Men’s Hostel (100 bedded), PG Women’s Hostel (100 bedded) are expected to be completed within one and half year. Type “A” Quarters (4 Nos.) are almost complete while Type ‘C’ Quarters 2 blocks of 6 units each is expected to be completed within 6 months from now. Construction of buildings for Tenyidie Classroom and Ladies Common Room has been completed too.
In the second phase of campus development, works, namely: construction of two hostels-100 bedded each- for men and women, construction of academic building around the central library, construction of health centre, construction of PVC’s quarter, construction of administrative building, construction of guest house, construction of staff quarters, construction of road connectivity and provision of drinking water facility are to be taken on priority basis as decided by the Campus Development Board in its meeting held on April 18, 2013 depending on fund position.
Apart from different infrastructural items, the NU Kohima Campus Meriema is planning to have other major constructions as per master plan such as parks and open spaces that include football ground, basketball court, badminton court, children’s park, botanical garden, bamboo grooves, polyhouse, exhibition centre, marketing complex, research centres, water body, solarium, orchid farm etc.
Under the master plan are also buildings for a Security House, Bank, Engineering works unit, post office and telephone exchange, canteen, auditorium, students amenity centre, museum etc.
“It is expected that once this Campus is fully developed as per master plan, with all modern facilities and amenities; it will be one of the finest campuses in the region for which adequate funding will be required,” stated the campus profile.
