APPEAL FROM VARMUL COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (VCAA)

SNS KASHMIR

BARAMULLA JANUARY 29 :

APPEAL

APPEAL FROM VARMUL COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (VCAA)

Andaz-e-Bayan Gharche Bohat Shaukh Nahin Hai

     Shaid Ke Utar Jaye Tere Dil Mein Meri Baat

Varmul College Alumni Association is aghast at facts on the ground and reports emerging in media regarding misuse of Government College Baramulla premises. The Alumni Association, being an important stakeholder, would like to put forth the following facts before the conscientious citizens of J&K. Government College Baramulla has over the decades emerged as a multidisciplinary institution of higher learning offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in emerging branches of knowledge. It has earned not only A Grade in NAAC ranking but has also been declared a “College with Potential for Excellence” by the UGC and is slated to be conferred with autonomous status in the coming months. It can be safely stated that the College has been performing in accordance with well-set academic benchmarks in quality education, sports, e-learning and in producing citizens of intellectual substance for the society.

The NAAC Peer Team in its inspection report in 2004, inter-ilia commented that, “The societal impact of the College is quite visible”, and “the College must endeavour to acquire more land for its future expansion”. Alas! Over the last few years, instead of acquiring more land for the College, the existing propriety land under its rightful possession has witnessed ruthless vandalization at the hands of unscrupulous elements. This has vitiated the academic ambiance of the College besides eroding its respectability.

The J&K Sports Council has been using Prof Showkat Ali Mir stadium of the College irresponsibly for the last many years, leaving the College sports teams high and dry. Their interference and encroachment has grown to the extent that the College sports teams find no space to practice and play for most part of a year in their own play field. The College was celebrated and renowned for winning University and Inter-College matches in hockey, football and cricket and producing eminent sports persons but is now at the mercy of Sports Council of J&K Government.

Another injury wreaked upon the institution of our dreams was the construction of indoor sports stadium in the College premises with political intervention in 2012 and the College was promised total control over the stadium once its construction by youth Services and Sports Department was complete.  However, since the construction of the said stadium, the sanctity and privacy of the College has been badly compromised.

It is pertinent to mention here that before establishing the quarantine centre in the  Indoor sports stadium in the College premises, the Sports Department has reportedly not organised any sports activity of worth mentioning academic importance. And after establishing quarantine centre in the said Indoor Sports stadium in March/April, 2020, the employees of the Sports Council were expected to have shifted to the well-established Sports Stadium and Spacious Indoor Sports Stadium, in Stadium Colony, Azad Gunj, Baramulla. Although local teams organise cricket tournaments regularly in the said stadium, the employees of Sports Department have never been seen organising any sports activity in this splendid Sports stadium or the Indoor Sports Stadium, on which millions of rupees have been spent and exist just across office of the Deputy Commissioner Baramulla.  Responsible citizenry has failed to raise this issue as to why the employees of Sports Council are not organising sports activities in the Sports Stadium at Azad Gunj and instead continue their encroachment on the College Sports field.

It is important to place on record that in case the control of Indoor Sports stadium is continued to be managed by any agency other than College Administration, the premises can be vulnerable. Moreover, the girls’ hostel in the vicinity of the stadium may become susceptible and the resident girl students would feel insecure to even come out in the fenced lawns of the hostel.   

Varmul College Alumni Association strongly feels that fiddling with the serene academic environment of the College shall have disastrous consequences for the young generation and the College which is expected to grow into University over the years may be reduced to yet another second grade college. It is in this backdrop that the Association is determined to raise its voice against these onslaughts and contribute towards restoring the prestige of this great institution as its rightful stakeholders.  

The Association Appeals the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, the Department of Higher education, the Sports Council, the Youth Services and Sports Department and the District Administration to reverse the damage caused to the College by taking the following remedial measures:

1. Handover the control of the Indoor Sports Stadium to the College Administration which will be responsible for facilitating all local, district level and UT Level events in the stadium.

2. Relocate the office of Sports Council to its rightful place at the Indoor sports stadium at Stadium Colony, Azad Gunj, Baramulla and prevent them from using College Premises un-authorisedly.

3. Shift the temporary Parking slot of JKAP from the College Hostel premises to some other suitable place and allow the hostellers to study without intolerable noise due to round the clock movement of vehicles and facilitate construction of much needed OBC Hostel Block in the said premises.

4. Extend all possible help to make the College an excellent centre of teaching-learning and research in pursuance of New Education Policy 2020.

Varmul College Alumni Association (VCAA), also appeals all Civil Society Organizations to come forward and protect the academic ecosystem of this institution of higher learning.

As a part of its duty towards strengthening the educational affairs of the College, Varmul College Alumni Association is contemplating to sincerely and sympathetically appeal the Society through Conferences and other academic events for furthering the cause of higher education in Baramulla in particular and throughout Jammu and Kashmir in general.

Baramulla, Kashmir (J&K).

A. R. Shalla      Prof Mohammad Ismail,

Secretary, VCAA               President, VCAA.

Contact No: 9682106312      Contact No: 9419032327                   

     Email ID: profmismail47@gmail.com