UCE students demand Deemed University status

Sambalpur, Oct 4 (UNI) Students of the University College of Engineering (UCE), Burla, today boycotted their classes and sat on dharna on the college premises, demanding deemed university status to their half century-old institution.

The students threatened to resort to fast unto death if the government did not fulfil their demand in five days.

The agitated students made it clear that they would not withdraw their agitation on the basis of assurance given either by the Biju Patnaik University of Technology(BPUT) Vice-Chancellor or by the government but only after the government accorded deemed university status to the college.

Initially the students, teachers and alumni association demanded IIT status to the college but later they demanded only ''deemed university'' status to the college.

UCE Principal Dr S K Sanyal when contacted said, '' Some works as regards to registration under societies Registration Act is pending with the state government posing main hurdle for according deemed university status. '' He had appealed to students to withdraw their agitation.

UNI