Akankshya Mahapatra 
The Khurda administration has urged administrations of colleges and universities in the district to strictly adhere to the anti-ragging guidelines. The district has the highest number of universities and colleges in the state.
Notably, number of ragging cases in institutions of higher education across the State is rising day by day.
In the absence of State specific legislation on ragging, higher education institutions in Odisha follow the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines on anti-ragging to keep the campuses ragging-free.
The Khurda Collector K Sudarshan Chakravarthy held a meeting with principals of all major colleges and vice-chancellors of all public and private universities on the issue on Wednesday and urged them to implement the anti-ragging guidelines in letter and spirit.
“We have asked them to strictly follow the guidelines, particularly formation of anti-ragging committees, squads and cells. Besides, all institutions have to install CCTV cameras in common areas of campuses to keep an eye on students indulging in such acts and counsel both new and old students on ills of ragging,” Chakravarthy said.
