A neglected state of affairs marks Osmania University’s centenary
In three weeks, the historic Osmania University in Hyderabad will celebrate 100 years of its foundation.
However, the festive mood, which should have been visible by now, is glaringly missing on the campus. Except an arch near the administrative building and a flattened balloon on the mighty Arts College building, there are no signs of any celebrations.
Surprisingly, neither students nor most of the faculty members have any clue as to how the centenary celebrations of the university, founded by the last Mir Osman Ali Khan in 1917, are going to be held.
All they know is that it is going to be a three-day affair— a twohour inaugural ceremony to be attended by President Pranab Mukherjee on April 26, an alumni meeting to be inaugurated by Maharashtra governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on the second day and an all-India vice-chancellors’ conference on the final day to be addressed by Union human resources development minister Prakash Javadekar.
“We are awaiting nod from Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to approve the actual programme schedule,” OU centenary celebrations committee special officer Prof H Venkateshwarlu told HT.
The university, which has produced several stalwarts like former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, former Lok Sabha speaker Shivraj Patil and former Union minister S Jaipal Reddy, besides industrialists like G V K Reddy and Karan Billimoria, is still in a shambles and requires urgent facelift for the occasion.
Nearly 20 of the 42 hostel buildings are in a pathetic state. The iron cots have no mattresses and students have been using banners and polythene covers as bedsheets. “During rainy season, it is a virtual shower in our rooms. We cannot go anywhere,” said Prashant, a post-graduate in public administration. “Many toilets are without doors and bolts. And this summer, there is a severe drinking water scarcity,” said Reddy Srinivas, doing MA (political science). said.
All that the university authorities have done so far for the centenary celebrations is whitewash the exteriors of hostel buildings, without bothering to improve the amenities.
“Authorities are not involving any student leaders in the celebration committees, since we raise all these issues,” asked N Ramesh, Telangana student joint action committee leader. “I am planning to have a meeting with some student representatives to discuss the issues,” he said.
The special officer said the Telangana government had allocated ₹200 crore for the OU celebrations this year.
“We are also expecting another ₹100 crore from the Centre. Once we get the funds, we will renovate the hostels and construct new buildings,” Venkateshwarlu said.
fares are likely to go up in coming months, with the Union Cabinet on Wednesday having cleared the long-pending proposal to set up a Rail Development Authority, which will determine goods and passenger tariffs.
Passenger fares have remained hugely subsidised in India, with annual losses in the passenger segment estimated at around ₹30,000 crore. For the price of a kilogram of sweets, one can travel 1,166 kilometer from New Delhi to Patna in the general unreserved class.
Seen as a big reform measure, the regulator will undertake the task of fixing tariffs on the basis of prevailing market prices and other parameters, including the cost of travel.
In what is seen as a big-ticket reform measure aimed at attracting private investments, the authority has also been entrusted with the task of ensuring fair play and a level playing field for stakeholders/investors in the Indian Railways.
“This will ensure that policies (for private investors) do not change with the change in governments,” an official said.
The regulator will also set efficiency and performance standards for the Indian Railways and will also have functions in relation to the dissemination of information, so as to bring transparency in the functioning of the state-owned transporter.
A funds corpus of ₹50 crore has been earmarked to set up the authority, which will function within the ambit of the Railways Act of 1989.
The regulator will have a chairman and three members and will have the authority to engage experts from other fields. The chairman and members will have five-year tenure.
THE RAIL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY WILL UNDERTAKE THE TASK OF FIXING TARIFFS BASED ON PREVAILING MARKET PRICES AND OTHER PARAMETERS