KSU sit-in demonstration for medical seats

SHILLONG, AUG 17: Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) staged a sit-in-demonstration in front of the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute for Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) to protest the two medical seats that were taken away from the central pool meant for the students hailing from the state. The two seats were instead allotted to the children of the faculty.

Meghalaya has been allotted 57 medical seats in NEIGRIHMS of which 22 seats are from the central pool and 35 seats under the state pool. However, two of the seats were allotted to the children of NEIGRIHMS’ faculty and thus agitated the KSU.

Placards with slogans “We opposed against taking away two seats from the central pool,” “We need more medical practitioners in our state” and  “57 per cent is not enough, 55 per cent is too less” were displayed by the KSU members during the two-hour protest.

KSU-Education Cell chairman Donald V Thabah told newsmen on Monday that the union strongly opposed the move to allot two medical seats from the central pool to the children of faculty members from outside the state serving in NEIGRIHMS.

According to Thabah taking away two medical seats from the central pool that were reserved for the local students will be a huge loss to the state, facing the problem of shortage of doctors.

As per the RTI filed by KSU in 2013, the overall total of medical seats reserved under the state quota is 57 seats. “Of this, there are 22 medical seats under the central pool while a total of 35 were under the state pool,” he said.

Therefore, Thabah said, “We demand that this decision to allot two seats from the state quota  should be revoke immediately,” adding “Failing which, the union will be compelled to take other course of actions to ensure that these seats are retained.”

Thabah also reminded that the matter was also opposed by the KSU in the year 2012.When asked, he said that the state government has so far failed to take up the matter with the centre.

Thabah further informed that if need be the union will not only pressurize the state government but the centre as well since taking away the two medical seats is an attempt to deprived the rights of the local students in the state, which will not be accepted.

Later, the union members led by the president Daniel Khyriem also met the NEIGRIHMS AG Ahangar on the issue.

Khyriem told reporter that Ahangar gave them patience hearing but could not give any decision on the issue as it is still pending in the court.- By Our Reporter