Min resigns from college governing body

CUTTACK: Aggrieved over students’ protest, Health and Family Welfare Minister Pratap Jena, who was the president of Subhadra Mahtab College governing body (GB), recently tendered his resignation from the post. Jena, who submitted his resignation letter to the Director of Higher Secondary Education, has sent its copy to the college authority, said Principal Sarat Kumar Padhi. As per report, former Chief Minister Dr Hare Krishna Mahtab had set up the Subhadra Mahtab College in his wife’s name near her native village at Asureswar in 1979. He had been working as the president of the college governing body.

After his demise, his son MP Bhartruhari Mahtab was working as the president of the college governing body. A few months back, dissolving the old one, a new governing body was formed with the local MLA-cum-Minister remaining as its president. Sidelining of Mahtab from the college management had not only discontented students but also the local intellectuals started raising their voices as the teaching and learning atmosphere of the college deteriorated with more than 20 teaching  and non-teaching staff lying vacant.