MPs visit NFAI,FTII; officials keep it under wraps

P K Nair,former director of FTII who heads a panel of experts working on revitalisation and upgradation of the FTII campus,said the visit was routine. “The delegation visited the site where the proposed expansion will take place,” Nair said.

“They were not here to sort out problems,” he said referring to the controversy over the expansion plan. He added that experts had submitted their findings to the institute,and the matter will be taken up in the general body meeting next week.

Prashant Pathrabe,director of NFAI,said,“The delegation was of a Parliamentary Consultative Committee… the matter is internal.”

In the evening,FTII sources said I&B Minister Ambika Soni will visit late at night and hold a meeting with the delegation. Fimmaker Shyam Benegal is expected to attend.

The student union of FTII met with the delegation. Kislay,the general secretary of the union,said,“We raised a number of demands. Among them was making the course on par with MA course. Under its current format,it is a simple post-graduate course,despite being a three-year programme. Another demand was that students get a stipend,like at institutions like College of Art,Delhi. We also wanted to protest against fee hike.” Two other MPs in the delegation,Saroj Pandey and Dr Sanjay Jaiswal,cancelled their visit.