The All Nagaland College Students’ Union has warned the Nagaland government of an agitation if steps are not taken within a week to address the delay in construction of a proposed girls’ hostel at Kohima Science College. Addressing the media in Kohima on Friday, ANCSU president Kivika Yeptho alleged that the delay in utilising funds sanctioned for the project has placed the hostel construction at risk. According to the student body, an amount of Rs 3.53 crore was sanctioned by REC Limited under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme for the proposed hostel project. ANCSU stated that the proposal for the girls’ hostel was submitted in 2022 through the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland. The project was later approved in 2023, and the first instalment of Rs 1.5 crore was reportedly released in April that year.
However, the union alleged that the project failed to move forward after plans were made to upgrade the hostel into what was described as an “international standard facility”. Following this, the estimated project cost was reportedly revised to around Rs 6 crore. The students’ body claimed that despite three years passing since the release of the initial funds, the sanctioned amount has remained unused. It further alleged that REC Limited has now initiated steps to seek a refund because the original project timeline has expired. ANCSU also expressed concern over what it described as a lack of transparency regarding the revised hostel project. The union said no proper blueprint or detailed plan of the upgraded facility has been shared with students so far.
The organisation stated that female students of the college are currently dependent on only one hostel with a capacity of around 100 beds, creating accommodation difficulties for many students. The union demanded immediate commencement of the project and urged the government and departments concerned to act quickly to protect the sanctioned funds and solve the hostel shortage issue.
