The cancellation of prestigious 105th Indian Science Congress scheduled to be held in Osmania University from January 3 to 7 has caused immense damage to the reputation of 100 year old university.
Till the first week of December, the OU authorities were damn sure of conducting the Science Congress and made all the arrangements for the event.
The authorities spent over Rs 25 crore, while the Centre was to give another Rs 100 crore and the state government was supposed to spend another Rs 40-50 crore.
However, the university authorities were shocked when the Telangana government suddenly told them that it was not going to be party to the Indian Science Congress and no arrangements would be made on behalf of the government.
Reason: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is reluctant to participate in the summit.
Simultaneously, the State intelligence department has written to the Centre that it was not advisable to conduct the congress in OU in view of the disturbed atmosphere on the campus.
The fact, however, is different according to sources. They say KCR is not interested in coming to the campus at all, as he feared he might face hostile reaction from the students.
In the last couple of years, KCR has been adopting anti-OU stand, because the students are not willing to give him the sole credit for the formation of Telangana. They say Telangana became a reality only because of students.
Secondly, there has been a growing unrest among the students as KCR has been dodging on filling up job vacancies.
“It is atrocious to blame it on students’ unrest. The Osmania University students would not have obstructed a grand academic event like ISC.
The TRS government had been working against the interest of Osmania University and its student’s right from the beginning of their regime,” a professor argued.
