Students claim ‘commission’ in uniform drive of Gangtok College

Third class materials provided at very high rates: Students

GANGTOK, September 2: The ‘uniformity’ drive of Tadong Government College has stumbled into its first controversy with a section of students today accusing college authorities and Student Representative Council for fixing excessive amounts for sub-standard uniforms.


The Tadong Government College had made it mandatory for its 2500 odd students to wear uniforms as designed by the administration from August 31. The college had claimed that the dress code will bring unity, uniformity and sense of discipline among the students. The uniforms were also meant for identification purposes.

Though a majority of students have welcomed the dress code, they now claim that the uniforms provided to them did not have the quality as desired and expected from the amount charged.

Claiming to speak on behalf of all the aggrieved students, the fifth semester students today issued a press statement blaming the college administration and their Student Representative Council.

“We welcome the decision of college administration to have uniforms for students. We express our gratitude to college principal and dean as this will bring uniformity among the students. But to our sadness, we have learnt that we were provided uniforms made of third class quality”, said fifth semester students, Jiwan Subba and Suman Ghimeray.

The students told media that uniforms provided to students have already started showing signs of decaying within one week. Some students scouted tailor shops in Gangtok and found out that the actual amount for uniforms was only Rs. 1500 at the most which was very low compared to amount of Rs. 2250 charged to us per uniform, they said.

We also found out from Jagadamba and Hari Stores that uniforms along with tailoring charges were costing between Rs. 1400 to Rs. 1500 per piece, the students said. There is a big difference of around Rs. 700 between the actual cost and amount charged from us and who is pocketing the difference, they questioned.

“When students requested the two stores for reduction in cost of the uniforms, they showed a white paper where it was written that the cost of the college uniform is ‘Rs. 2250’ duly signed by one of the high personality of the college”, the students said.

Claiming a ‘commission’ hand in the whole affair, the students said that those enjoying the fruits of commission will come to very drastic end as they were eating the labour and sweat of poor farmers. The students of this college have come from small villages from districts and they are mostly children of the farmers, they said.

As a whole, the entire expenditure for uniforms along with tie, shoes and stockings for girls have to bought separately will come around Rs. 3000 to Rs. 4000, the students said.

This is a huge amount for BPL category students studying in the college and our college administration is forgetting that our college is a government college and not a private college, the aggrieved students said in the press release.