NID deadlock: Director leaves for Delhi

Ahmedabad: Ashok Mondal, the newly appointed director of the National Institute of Design (NID), left for a visit to Delhi on Thursday. This was his first trip after assuming charge on Friday. The visit is considered significant due to the ongoing protest by the students at the premier design institute against Mondal's decision to reshuffle several faculty members and discipline leads soon after assuming charge. Sources close to the development said that the visit is seen in light of the protests, as the ministry of commerce and industry, which oversees the administration of NID, might have taken note of the dissent. The student body had approached the ministry officials, according to sources. Meanwhile, yet another meeting with the director by the student body late on Wednesday failed to yield conclusive results. Sources said the students remained firm in their demand for clarity on the changes in various design disciplines and to resolve the matter in a timely manner. "The director only assured them that the faculty members are being utilised differently and not relocated. Among the issues discussed was also the order transferring NID's immediate past director, Praveen Nahar, to the Bengaluru campus. When the students asked the director about the responsibilities of the previous leads of different disciplines, he told them that he was working on the details and would issue an official order soon," said sources. On Monday, the students, dressed in black attire, began their demonstration in front of the director's office. Discussions took place between the director and student representatives on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to arrive at an amicable solution to the situation. The students argued that the sweeping changes made in the middle of the semester could affect their studies.
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