Students from various city colleges along with members of civil society organisations staged a demonstration in front of the Prakasam Bhavan here on Monday in protest against the delay in setting up universities promised by the Union and State governments.
Special package
Thousands of students came in a procession to the Church Centre raising slogans in support of their demands including a special package for Prakasam district along with seven other districts from Rayalaseema and north Coastal Andhra.
They threatened to lay a siege to the houses of Ministers, MPs and MLAs if there was no positive response to their demands within a reasonable time.
Leading the protest, Prakasam District Development Forum president Ch.Ranga Rao lamented that Prakasam district, the largest in the State, was the only district without a single university even to this date.
“While other districts have been sanctioned multiple universities at one go by both the Union and the State governments, students are perplexed as to why Prakasam alone has been meted out a step-motherly treatment by the two governments,” said Andhra Pradesh Students Joint Action Committee State convenor Rayapatti Jagadeesh.
Reminding Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu of his promise to set up a veterinary university and University of Mines and Mineral Sciences in the district, Acharya N.G.Ranga Kisan Samastha secretary Ch.Seshaiah said neither administrative sanction had been given nor land acquisition process had been initiated so far for the twin universities.
Higher learning
Though land had been identified for an airport at Alluru, near here, no initiative had been taken to take up the project. Lack of airport had been shown as a pretext for denial of setting up institutions of higher learning in the district.
Agriculture Minister P.Pulla Rao who had promised an agriculture university to the district, should tender an apology to the people for the delay in setting up the university, All India Kisan Sabha State general secretary K.V.V.Prasad said.
They threaten to lay a siege to the houses of Ministers, MPs and MLAs if there is no positive response to their demands within a reasonable time
