Kazi Nazrul Islam College is slowly fading into oblivion owing to state apathy

Kazi Nazrul Islam College is slowly fading into oblivion owing to state apathy

Bureau Report:
Eight years ago, Kazi Nazrul Islam College situated about 25 kilometres away from Asansol town had over 500 students on its rolls. It had only one pass course. Today the student count has dropped to a meagre 83, even though the college has added two honours courses to its curriculum - Bengali and Commerce. The irregular bus service to the place with only four minibuses plying on the route has only worsened the problem. There is no facility for providing drinking water facilities for students, no playgrounds or a canteen. It took the college management about 24 years to repair a portion of the dilapidated college building. It was a story of the gradual decay of this college at Churulia, the birthplace for the famous revolutionary poet of Bengal which was constructed by the state government on 4 acres of land. Former chief minister Jyoti Basu laid the foundation stone of the college. The college was inaugurated in 1882 but despite two separate visits by former prime ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Seikh Haseena Wajed of Bangladesh on its centenary year the college has limped on its way. Says Shanta Ram, the principal of Kazi Nazrul Islam college, "Students used to come from surrounding districts but as more colleges have come up in the locality, the number of students have steadily decreased." Every year, during end-May, the birth anniversary of Nazrul is held in Churulia with pomp and grandeur but the college hardly benefits from that. The library is dilapidated and worse, even the staff refuse to live in their quarters as snakes come out during the monsoon. The college is even suffering from an acute shortage of staff. While everybody blames the government for constructing this college in such an isolated location, the idea of shifting it to a better location for the benefit of the college and students has been mooted amidst stiff resistance from the local people. "We want to see if the student strength and their performance improves after the honours courses are introduced and then decide on the next move next year," said Tapas Kabi, chairman of Jamuria Municipality. The college is yet to get the Rs 3 lakh grant from the MP quota, Rs 3 lakhs from the minister’s quota and Rs 6 lakhs from the state government. The money was promised to the college years ago. "Neither the state government nor the Burdwan University has shown an interest to turn the college into an institute of excellence," said a college student requesting anonymity.