Students of Dinajpur Government Veterinary College (DGVC) barricaded the Dinajpur-Dhaka highway near the institution yesterday, snapping the road link for several hours, demanding transfer of the college under the government's revenue department and creation of more academic facilities.

The college has been set up under a development project, which ended on June last year. Since then, the teachers and other staff are not getting salary, which is disrupting the academic atmosphere.

Many of the teachers left the college by this time, students told this correspondent during the agitation.

During the angry demonstration, the students placed trees on the road and burnt tires and squatted, chanting anti-government slogans. The road barricade created traffic jam on both sides.

Being informed police rushed to the scene and tried to clear the road barricade but failed.

Later State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Khurshid Jahan Haque went there. The students withdrew the barricade as she promised to take steps to transfer the college under the government's revenue head and turn it into to a full pledged veterinary college.

The Dinajpur Government Veterinary College

The students, along with teachers and other staff have been agitating since July last year to press their demand. Yesterday's demonstration was however not participated

by teachers.

The college was set up at a cost of Tk 30 crore. The administrative building, hostels for students, training facilities, staff quarters have been completed since the work began in 1997.

The DGVC authorities at different phases appointed 112 employ-

ees including 35 teachers.

But there are only 35 teachers and 78 employees in the college, having about 150 students on roll now. The academic activities began in 2003.

The fate of the students is now uncertain due to lack of teachers and other facilities, they said.

When contacted, the principal of the college said they do not know whether they are still in service because the development project under the education ministry expired one year ago but the institution has not been transferred under the revenue department.