Kolkata: Following a change in the state government, Pramod Swain, the former canteen operator at Presidency University who was evicted in 2017, has written to Vice-Chancellor Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty requesting the necessary steps to allow him to run the canteen on campus again.
Decades of Service
In his letter, Swain highlighted his long association with the university. “I ran the students’ canteen with bona fide authorisation for almost three and a half decades. Before me, my elder brother and uncle ran it. During my tenure, ‘Promod-dar Canteen’ became an integral part of the college’s identity amongst the students,” he wrote.
Swain noted that he had repeatedly raised the matter to resume canteen operations over the years but without success. He urged the Vice-Chancellor to take the necessary steps and expressed his willingness to cooperate if any rearrangement of financial terms and conditions is required.
Background
The eviction in 2017 had sparked protests among students, who considered the canteen a landmark. With the change in government, Swain sees an opportunity to reclaim his position. The university administration has yet to respond to his request.
