The social distancing and adherence of other COVID-19 SoPs at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology (SKUAST)-Kashmir were severely violated today at the campus as the students assembled there for semester registration in the absence of online facility.
The varsity administration had scheduled semester registration of undergraduate and postgraduate students of all the faculties at SKUAST-K on April 22 and 23.
On the first day (Thursday), the students rushed to the SKUAST-K Shalimar to complete their semester registration as the concerned faculties did not open the online link to complete the process.
“The UG and PG students of all the departments gathered at the registration section due to which the campus remained crowded for almost whole day. No social distance was maintained and other COVID-19 SoPs issued by the government had gone for a toss,” a student said.
The students shared the pictures from the spot wherein the students were seen standing in long queues without maintaining proper social distancing and other COVID-19 SoPs.
“We are apprehensive to get infected by the corona virus in this rush. The university had claimed to open an online link for semester registration but no such link has been made available on the University website forcing students to rush to the varsity,” another student said.
Notably, the University has suspended the offline class work and postponed the exams as well in view of the surge in COVID-19 cases.
“But the UG and PG students of all the divisions were called to complete their semester registration in offline mode,” an aggrieved student said.
The aggrieved students complained that the University administration had claimed to have online option for the students to complete their semester registration. “But none of the departments opened any link on the website to complete the process through online mode,” the student said.
Notably, the students and some faculty members from various divisions of the SKUAST-K tested positive for COVID-19 recently forcing the varsity administration to suspend all offline academic activities.
The in-charge Vice Chancellor of the University J P Sharma when contacted said the issue will be looked into.
“We had kept both online and offline options available for students but don’t know why students visited the university physically to fill the semester registration forms. I will look into it,” he said.