Assam: Cotton College Students Oppose Setting up of Shops Near Campus

GUWAHATI: The students of Cotton University expressed strict opposition to the decision of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation to designate an area near the University Campus as the ‘Khao Gally’. The students cited that setting up shops will create problems for the students of the university.

Recently the Guwahati Municipal Corporation designated the Lakshminath Bezbaruah near which the hostels of the prestigious Cotton University and even a few departments are located, as the Khao Gully. This would allow several small shops to be set up in the area to serve a wide variety of street food, fast food and other food and beverages. The students under the lead of the students union have opposed this decision and demanded that the Guwahati Municipal Corporation move this project to a different location in the city.

The president of the students’ union of the university, Tridib Bhagabati mentioned that this step will bring disturbance to the students of the institution and hamper their studies. He mentioned that the designated area is very important for the students of the college and the creation of shops in that area will lead to unnecessary crowding, thus disturbing the smooth movement of the students from their hostels towards the main building or between different departments for their classes.

He also mentioned that the people came up to set up shop near the hostels and when asked, they mentioned that this area has been tagged as the Khao Gully by the GMC Mayor. He questioned the motives of the urban body to allocate that particular area when so many other locations are available.

The GMC has designated the area near Cotton University hostels in Lakshminath Bezbaruah Road where a few departments are also located. To this, the student union of the university objected by stating that it would hamper the studious environment of Cotton University. “There are so many universities in the state and nowhere the Khao Gully has been established. Either this space will be utilized for education or for business but not both,” he questioned.

The students of the university also threatened to undertake protests if their demand to change the designated area for Khao Gully is not met by the authorities.

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