Mysuru:  With no permanent Dean since 2015 and with no continuous supply of electricity and water, the students of Chamarajendra Government College of Visual Arts (old CAVA) at Siddarthanagar, have been protesting to get these basic facilities since three days now.

As part of their agitation, students this morning locked the vacant cham-bers of the Dean and the Administrator at  the college.

The students, speaking to media, alleged that the supply of electricity and water was disrupted often because the CAVA Administrators never paid the electricity bills on time because of which Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) would disconnect power to the college. They also added that, because electricity is cut, water could not be pumped to the overhead tanks and so there was no water in the college.

The students also said that it was unfortunate that such a prestigious institution in the State does not have  a permanent Dean since four years. 

Apart from the basic requirements such as uninterrupted power supply, water and a permanent Dean, the students also demanded a workspace for Sculpture Department, permanent lecturers for Painting Department, licenced software and certified trainers for Applied Arts and Photography Departments among others.  

Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) B.R. Poornima, who is also the In-charge Dean of CAVA, arrived at the spot and tried to pacify the students to call off their stir. But the protesting students did not budge and stuck to their demands and poured out their problems before the ADC.

The students told the ADC that there was no supply of power to the college, no National workshop has been held since four years, there is no security to the college as there is no compound etc. 

They said they were neither protesting nor shouting slogans against anyone but were just telling their problems as their career depended on the academic activities at the college. 

The ADC told the students that they cannot stage protest by locking the chambers of the Dean and Administrator as it was a Government Institute and permission was necessary to stage stir. She told the students that she had spoken to the Kannada and Culture Department Secretary and assured the students that the Secretary would come to the college in 10 days. She (ADC) urged the students to attend the classes till then. But the students, who stuck to their demands, told the ADC that they would continue with the stir till their problems were solved. 

Meanwhile, ADC Poornima told SOM that the college comes under the Department of Kannada and Culture and added that it is the Government which appoints the staff. “Because of K1 to K2 transfers, many students have not received their stipends. I have taken steps to get their stipend soon,” she added.

There are a total of 186 students studying in six Departments at CAVA. The last permanent Dean was V.A. Deshpande, who retired in 2015 and since then there have been only In-charge Deans.

Nazarbad Police Inspector Vivekananda and staff were present at the college to prevent any untoward incidents from taking place and as per instructions from ADC, the Police were taking steps to open the locks of the chambers, when we went to the press.