The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) on Saturday condemned the “non-cooperative attitude” of the JNU administration in responding to suggestions made for opening of a COVID management facilities within the campus.
Stating that there was a spike in cases over the last two weeks, the JNUTA said, “The rigid and the almost negligent attitude of the university administration, we fear could end up having grave consequences for JNU as a whole. To avoid this, the JNUTA would once again like to plead with the university authorities to not stand on rigidities and be flexible to demands that are being made by residents.”
“It would indeed be criminal to keep physical facilities locked up and not made available for use by residents in need,” the letter said.
Later in the day, the JNU administration issued a statement saying that a COVID response team had been set up recently to assist those requiring tests and vaccines. The administration added that each hostel had a separate response team of its own to handle cases.
Terming the teachers’ statements as “malicious and irresponsible”, the varsity said, “JNU administration appreciates the concerns of each member of the community and would welcome constructive suggestions to fight COVID-19... the administration strongly deplores the unwarranted comments.”
The teachers also said that it was imperative to create facilities for oxygen concentrators on campus to aid any person in a state of acute distress till a hospital bed can be made available. “It is well-known now that such is the nature of COVID-19, that deterioration in health can happen very fast and hospitals are facing acute overcrowding. This is leading to JNU community members covered by CGHS being denied admission to hospitals even listed under the cashless scheme,” the letter said.
Referring to a letter dated April 23, the JNUTA said that a suggestion had been made of converting the guest houses on campuses to facilities for residents for self-isolation purposes.