A group of students from Kashmir University recently spotted a plank which read, “Cafe Coffee Day—a lot can happen over coffee”. Two students from the group overwrote on it, with a black and red marker pen: Hungry Capitalism, gory capitalists! They also made a doodle ridiculing the nod of the University administration to allow the establishment of a “hi-fi coffee shop” inside the campus.
The Café Coffee Day at the Naseem Bagh near the Sheikh Hamza Guest House functions in a hut inside the campus and offers variety of coffees and cakes. An employee of the shop said the construction of the CCD at Naseem Bagh was undertaken at a rapid pace. “We had it decorated within two weeks,” he said. “The construction of a CCD outlet here was a priority.”
“This is yet another attempt to capitalize the campus in the garb of providing facilities,” said a student from the Department of Law. “The authorities here don’t bother to take positive decisions for the collective good of students,” he said, adding that “this coffee shop is meant to hijack the thinking of students and fleece them.”
“Setting up a coffee shop in the campus is of no interest to the students,” a student from Political Science department said. “It is a sign of introducing pop culture in the campus and to fleece students, most of whom are from middle class background.”
The KU students said that the existing cafeterias inside the campus charge hefty sum for even a cup of tea. “We have nowhere to go now after this CCD was established inside the campus. We believe there was no need for this expensive café inside the campus,” the students said. “The Varsity administration should have instead reduced hefty fee students have to pay.”
The students said the varsity administration, instead of providing basic facilities to the students in departments and hotels, facilitated the establishment of expensive CCD in the campus. “The University hostels witness continuous power cuts which affects the study of students,” they said. “Why don’t the university authorities bother about these problems students face,” they asked.  
The academics of the varsity also despise the idea of a CCD inside the campus. “Decisions are taken at the highest levels in the Varsity. Professors are never asked to have a say in such matters,” says an Assistant Professor from the Department of Economics.  “Every day when I enter the campus, I come across vagabonds who smoke, pass comments to girls and surpass the official directives,” he said. “But they are not the students of the University. The administration does not have the power to even stop an outsider entering the University, particularly those enter the campus in cars and on motorbikes,” he said.
Registrar Kashmir University, Prof Zaffar Ahmad Reshi, said the canteens in the campus would not be allowed to fleece the students. “There is no problem in having a CCD in the campus. But it is our job to keep it friendly with students both culturally and economically,” he said, adding, “we would never allow them to compel students to pay hefty sums and it would not be lavish.” He said the administration has already convened a meeting regarding the matter. Asked what made the KU administration to facilitate the establishment of a CCD outlet inside the campus, the newly-appointed Registrar said, “it was a demand from the students.”

Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Nov 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Nov 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 23 Nov 2012 00:00:00 IST