4 August

The road accident in the night on May 28, 2023, that took the lives of eight bright students speaks mounds of the on-going callousness of this premier technical institution in Assam. The accident exposed continued lapses on the part of the college administration. It was a matter of much regret for all concerned and jolted the whole of Assam. The accident was only the tip of the iceberg. The college was established in 1955, and the quarters were constructed around the same time as the 66th Session of the Congress in 1958. It is gathered that Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru stayed for three nights at the beautiful Assam-type house of the present principal; it is considered a heritage house, carries the golden memories of a distant past, and stands as a testimony of AEC’s journey of growth to a PG and doctoral-level institution. Here once lived revered principals like Prof. Deba Prasad Baruah, Prof. N. Dasgupta, Dr. S. D. Gogoi, Prof. Deba Brata Goswami, Dr. Amal Sarma, et al., and deserves conservation efforts. Almost 60 years have already elapsed, but proper maintenance of all quarters has not been carried out due to the financial crunch that prevailed in those days under different governments. As a result, the quarters are now in a very dilapidated state, rendering them unfit for living. It is claimed that the residential status of the college has been lost due to varied reasons, one being the shortfall of teachers’ quarters and also inadequate hostel capacity. Theft cases on campus are on the rise, and teachers feel insecure in dilapidated quarters. CCTVs are to be installed on the campus. The total number of students, including PG and Doctoral courses, is around 2000, against a hostel capacity of 950 or so. As a result, a business of paying guests or a rental system has sprung up as a preferred choice of stay. Hence, it necessitates the construction of a larger number of Hostel buildings. On the other hand, the number of serving teachers is 88, compared to the sanctioned posts of around 100. The pitiable part is that out of 88 serving teachers, about 40–44% are on contract, not on permanent rolls. The vacancies of teachers, hostel cooks, and cleaners must be filled. The number of teachers’ quarters is only 25, which does not cater to the needs of the present strength. When this writer had visited a professor’s house some time before, to my surprise, he came to know that he had to maintain the quarters at his own expense because the government had no sufficient funds for maintenance work. A known professor of mine at Gauhati University spent Rs. 1 lakh a few years ago just to make the house fit for living. Those university quarters were also constructed around the same time as those of the AEC. That teachers do not stay on campus, a common blame game, is not tenable at all. To bring back the residential status of the college, the gap between requirements and existing quarters must be filled. Actions are to be initiated to dismantle all old, dilapidated quarters in a phased manner and to reconstruct a Model Campus, perfect for present-day decent living and to create a tranquil atmosphere for imparting education. The urgent requirement is to re-vamp the whole campus and re-model. The new campus should be in line with the best educational institutions in India. There is also a need for a Community hall equipped with recreational facilities like a health club, badminton court, T-T table, etc., for socialising employees and ample space for cultural events under the same roof. Enough plantation drive is to be made to look in every direction lustrous green throughout the year, with different varieties of blooming trees. Trees will provide enough shade, and fruit-bearing trees will attract different birds, while the resident population will enjoy the chirping songs of the birds, which will make everybody cheerful and a lovable campus to rejoice in. The existing small ponds should be well taken care of to keep the ambiance cool, and new additions of a few beautiful gardens would add beauty further to the campus. To look after these, the appointment of a Horticulturist is a must, with funds to maintain them. While planning for a new campus, the guidance of an experienced Landscape Architect would be of immense help. Present water bodies in and around the college must be preserved. Instead of dismantling the Huge monumental Structure of the Gauhati High Court to be shifted to North Guwahati, as reported in a section of the dailies, which would incur additional huge expenditures, instead that fund may be diverted to re-vamp the AEC college campus, a real requirement. Though the college has been upgraded to pursue PG and Doctoral Courses, its laboratories are not well equipped. Students are required to go to other institutions for experiments. The good news is that, recently, a MoU has been signed with the IIT-G to utilise their laboratory facilities. As the old adage goes “when there is a will, there is a way” The renewed efforts bore fruit; the college boundary was demarcated within a month of the accident with the combined efforts of the college authority, a few dedicated teachers, the Survey Department, D.C., S.D.C., and the Alumni Association, which was long overdue for decades. The encroached portion of land within the demarcated 1408 bighas warrants a quick eviction drive and rapid construction of boundary walls. Now Chowkidars have been posted at three unmanned gates. Biometric attendance has been introduced at the hostels. Unscrupulous persons are selling alcohol inside the campus; these dens of alcoholics must be totally dismantled with the help of the police. The presence of such antisocial elements on the campus justifies setting up a police station. Though biometric attendance for teachers was introduced, there is a complete disregard for the system. According to former college teacher and Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University, Dr. Nirmal Kumar Choudhury, the government needs to be strict; undisciplined students must be expelled. Inefficient teachers or teachers in the habit of bunking off the classes must be told to go for compulsory retirement.