MALKANGIRI: Balimela College of Science and Technology, the oldest college of Malkangiri, is grappling with a crippling infrastructure deficiencies, thanks to the neglect of the State Government. Thirty eight years after its establishment, the college still has not been equipped with adequate classrooms to accommodate students.

Owing to this, the college at Niladrinagar under Korukonda block, has not yet received accreditation by National  Assessment and Accreditation Council which is required to get University Grants Commission and Ministry of  Human Resources Development funds. Since its inception, it has only received `20 lakh from the State Government.

The college currently has a strength of 1,550 students in both Plus Two (higher secondary) and Plus Three. While  Arts and Commerce streams are offered in higher secondary level, only Arts is offered in Plus Three. Teaching has been hit due to acute shortage of classrooms in both higher secondary and Plus Three levels. To make things worse, four classrooms of the old building were declared unsafe by the district administration last year. 

At present, the college has four rooms each having 128 seating capacity, four rooms with 64 seats each, five classrooms for Honours subjects and four laboratories. It has a sanctioned student strength of 320 in higher secondary Arts, 192 in higher secondary Sciences, 256 in Plus Three Arts and 192 in Plus Three Science.

Water leaks from the roof of Physics laboratory during monsoon and cracks have developed in other rooms as well. Since the campus has no boundary wall, it becomes a safe haven for anti-socials in the night. 
Principal, MB Subudhi said the college is in urgent need of at least two new rooms, each having a seating capacity of 128 students and another four rooms each having a capacity of accommodating 64 students for smooth conduct of classes and to get NAAC accreditation. 

Collector, Manish Agarwal  has written to the Secretary of Higher Education Department for providing financial  assistance to the college for construction of new rooms. Last year, the government had sanctioned `20 lakh of  which, `10 lakh was sanctioned for first phase work, for construction of classrooms for Honours subjects. The  district administration, on its part, has sanctioned `43 lakh and the money is being used to construct a library-cum-examination hall.