Private universities in Chhattisgarh, faced with closure after the Supreme Court order, has told the state government that its offer for grant of affiliations to universities at Raipur and Bilaspur is unacceptable. They have, instead, suggested the enactment of a legislation to protect their identities and the interests of 25,000 students.Says K.C. Agrawal, vice-chancellor of Rai university: ‘‘Grant of affiliations is no solution to the current crisis. It will lead to serious problems and complicate the problem. The only way out, I feel, is enactment of a legislation for the universities fulfilling the norms.’’But in government circles, there is hardly any clarity about the future course of action even as students have become impatient. ‘‘We will not allow the government or even the universities to play with our future,’’ says newly-formed Private Universities Students Federation (PUSF).But the government seems to be confused. ‘‘We don’t want to do anything that contradicts the Supreme Court order. Since the universities are not ready for affiliations, we are examining other options,’’ an official said.
