NID, Andhra Pradesh Students Protests Over Lack Of Basic Facilities (image- facebook/National Institute of Design, Andhra Pradesh)
Frustrated by several issues, including a lack of basic facilities and an unhygienic campus environment, students of the National Institute of Design (NID), Andhra Pradesh, have begun a hunger strike against the college management.
The National Institute of Design, Andhra Pradesh, established in 2015, is the second autonomous design institute under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. Students have reported cases of food poisoning caused by poor-quality food and water provided by the college. Initially operating from a transit campus, the institute relocated to a permanent campus in Amaravati in March.
According to a Bachelor of Communication Design student, the relocation to the new campus occurred despite ongoing construction work, forcing students to live in unsanitary conditions. The decision to relocate followed the death of a student, Sabrish RS, who, along with other students, was residing in an independently leased apartment.
The college’s lease ended in December, and Sabrish passed away from cardiac arrest while being treated for food poisoning. Following a complaint by his father, the case is currently under investigation.
The college was then shifted to unfinished infrastructure located in Sakhamuru village, Amaravati. However, the condition of hostel residents remained dire. Upon arrival, due to poor-quality mess food and unfiltered water, 23 students were hospitalised, and around 40 reported feeling unwell. When three students fell seriously ill, they experienced significant delays in receiving permission to leave and in the ambulance’s arrival. In total, 30 students suffered from vomiting and varying degrees of diarrhoea. The students’ health has been severely affected due to the poor quality of the food they have been consuming for the past two weeks.
Despite the issues raised by the students, the administration cancelled the summer vacation in June and has now resumed offline classes.
Students have also claimed that external faculty members have refused to conduct offline classes since the campus relocation. NID offers four courses, with each batch consisting of around 40 students.
A meeting with the administration was held on Monday, April 1, 2024, after which the protest escalated into a hunger strike.
Timeline Daily has reached out to NID, Andhra Pradesh, for a comment but has not received a response. The story will be updated once the institute replies.
