How Student protests in Silchar are forcing a course correction

Swami Vivekananda had once said, “A brave, frank, clean-hearted, courageous and aspiring youth is the only foundation on which the future nation can be built.”

The students of Silchar have hit the roads. It seems the administration has put all its eggs in one basket, that is the pandemic management. The law and order situation in the city has hit a new low and sufferers are the common people.

Recently, Cachar College students along with Snehal Chakraborty from GC College blocked the road near Capital Point. There was vehicular traffic because of that and as the road was blocked during peak hours, many office-goers got off the vehicle and started walking. A lady in her 70s was one of them. She got tired while walking and was wiping her sweat with a hanky. That is when she saw the students sitting on the road.

“Why are you all sitting here and blocking the road?” she asked. Snehal Chakraborty replied with a counter-question, “Madam, how much did you pay as fare?” The lady replied saying “Rs 20”. The conversation kept moving as Chakraborty asked her, “How much was the fare before pandemic?” The lady replied saying Rs 10. “We are sitting here and blocking the road so that you are no longer forced to pay the double fare,” said Chakraborty.

The lady smiled and said, “Be seated son, you have my best wishes,” and she walked off.

Yes, old and young, students or corporates, everybody is forced to pay double and at times triple the mandated fare. Snehal Chakraborty, Shubashis Choudhury, and other students from GC and Cachar College had demonstrated in November protesting against the irregular price rise. They warned the administration to bring the fare under control or else they said they will go for a larger strike.

Cachar College students did it on December 1. The road was blocked and the vehicular traffic got disrupted. “That worked,” says Snehal Chakraborty. “A meeting was called in the evening and it was convened by an officer in DTO, Homen Das. In the meeting representatives of several associations were present. For the travelers and cruisers, it has been decided that they will abide by the government notification and charge per passenger Rs 1.88 per kilometer,” informed Snehal Chakraborty.

He added that the respective associations have also agreed to round off the fare by charging lower than the actual. “Say someone travels 10 kilometres, so the fare becomes Rs 18.80. In such cases, the cruisers and travelers will charge Rs 15,” he informed.

As far as the auto-rickshaws are concerned, the secretary of the auto-owners association said that for travel up to one kilometre they will charge Rs 10. “Autos have a problem of their own. The administration has changed the path and now they have to take a longer route which is smaller in size. Unless their route is changed, they won’t be able to charge fare that they used to earlier. This is what the auto association maintained and now we will together get into an agitation demanded route correction,” said Snehal Chakraborty.

On one side, when transportation fare is digging a hole in the students’ pocket, the educational institutions, on the other hand, are not helping either. Most of the government institutions have charged students for the Class XI examinations that were supposed to be held in March-April. As we all are well aware, the examinations have been canceled by the government owing to the ongoing pandemic. However, the colleges did not return the examination fee that was charged.

Karanjit Deb, Rohit Chanda, and other students of GC College started submitting memorandums to the Principals of Colleges and School across the city. That got the administration contemplating. GC College has issued a notice which states “Considering the memorandum dated 9 11 2020 submitted by the students of GC college it is decided in the meeting held on 24 11 2020, in the principal’s chamber that after deducting the requisite amount of exam fees deposited to the AHSEC and other required exam expenditure, (Preparation of admit card etc.) the marksheet fee Rs 200 per student and centre fee Rs 300 per student that is total Rs 500 per student may be considered for refund to the HS First Year examinees of 2020 after accord of necessary approval of the governing body, GC College.”

Rohit Chanda of GC College said that Radhamadhab College administration has also decided to refund the fees, “We will submit a memorandum to each and every HS Schools now demanding a full refund of examination fees,” said Chanda.