Acute shortage of language teachers has become a major cause of concern for the Khallikote Autonomous College here. After Telugu, now the Hindi department of the college is running without any faculty member.

Around 57 students, from Plus III to post-graduate, study Hindi at the 134-year-old college. The only Hindi teacher of the college retired last week.

“Since the course for this semester has been completed by the end of February and the classes are suspended due to the Plus II examination, we will not face much difficulty this year,” said principal D P Nanda. He, however, said the college would face problems in the coming academic session, if no teacher is posted.

Not only the Hindi and, many other departments of the premier college are suffering from shortage of teachers. There are only 37 teachers at the college against the sanctioned post of 90. There are more than 4,000 students at the college. The situation is likely to worsen with at least eight more teachers retiring later this year.

The principal said classes were being conducted at many departments with guest faculties. At least 18 guest teachers were appointed this year, he added. The principal said he would apprise the government of the staff shortage in the college very soon.

Berhampur MLA and president of the managing committee of the college R Ch Chaupatnaik said he had already informed the government of the staff crunch at the institute. “I have requested the government to appoint more teachers. Besides, I also appealed for an unitary university status for the age old institute,” he said.

Several former student leaders blamed the government for the pitiable condition of the college. “The college has produced so many eminent politicians, renowned scientists, educationists of the country. We are very much worried about the future of the college. Its condition is gradually deteriorating because of government apathy,” said Pradesh Congress Committee secreatry Bikram Panda.

A retired professor and his college teacher wife were found dead at their house at Ramakrushna Nagar, Berhampur today. Police recovered the bodies of Gopal Krushan Panigrahi (65), a retired professor in Berhampur University and his wife Kamala (61), also a retired lecturer with Khallikote Autonomous College, Berhampur from their residence. Police suspected the couple might have been murdered by a gang which came to loot the house where they were lived alone. While some of the household items were lying scattered, one of the almirahs was found open. The only daughter of the couple was staying in Bhubaneswar. Injury marks were seen on the head of Panigrahi, whose body was lying in the front room of the house while there was injury also on the body of his wife, which was found from the bedroom.

An illegal gun-making unit in Nuagada village under Angaragaon panchayat was unearthed by Kodala police on Wednesday night. One Koteswar Maharana alias Basant was arrested.

Police said two persons were running the unit in a house on the outskirts of the village for a long time, but none had any inkling of it. The matter came to light when a cashewnut trader came to the village inquiring about the unit and its owner.

Receiving information, police reached the village and raided the house. During interrogation, Maharana told the police that gun manufacturing in the unit was stopped a few days back as the person assisting him suffered from paralysis.

An excise official was seriously injured when a mob attacked a joint team of excise and police personnel on their return journey after conducting raids on illegal liquor manufacturing units in Khallikote area of Ganjam district on Wednesday.

Excise Superintendent B N Dhal sustained head injuries when his vehicle wa sattacked with iron rods and stones by the mob at Sourapalli, police said.

He was admitted to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital here, police said adding that a police jeep was also damaged.

During raids, huge quantities of country-made liquor were seized.

Doubts were raised over the safety of three other molasses-stocked tanks in Aska Cooperative Sugar Industries at Nuagaon in Ganjam district on Tuesday, after one such tank developed a crack killing three persons when molasses entered into two staff quarters on Sunday night.

“We can’t rule out a repeat of such mishap if the factory authorities fail to take immediate safety measures for the 40-year-old tanks,” said Lalit Mohan Das, vice-president of Sugar Industries Labour Union. There are currently four tanks with a capacity of 3,000 metric tons each in the factory to stock molasses produced after processing sugarcane. Around 7,000 metric tons of molasses are stocked in the tanks at present.

Das said he had raised doubts over the safety of the tanks last year and sought clarification from the factory authorities through Right to Information Act. The factory authorities had said then the tanks were absolutely safe.

Non-maintenance of the tanks for the past several years by factory authorities was the main cause of the recent mishap, said another trade union leader Narayan Jena. Union leaders demanded to take immediate safety measures for the old tanks.

District collector Krishan Kumar, also chairman of the managing committee of the factory, said the incident was an accident. He, however, promised to inquire into it to ascertain the exact cause behind the mishap.

“We will take a decision regarding safety measures of the tanks after getting reports from the director of the factory boilers,” Kumar said. “We are planning to sell some of the molasses after taking permission from the government,” said managing director of the factory, B K Sahu.

The collector said their prime work was to start operation of the factory. While around 1,000 tons of sugarcane are lying on the factory premises without being processed, around 4,000 tons are lying in the field as processing was stopped after the mishap.

Ganjam district sugarcane growers association demanded compensation for the farmers, who have already cut the sugarcane to supply to the factory. “The sugarcane lying in the field and factory will dry up if not processed immediately. The factory authorities should compensate the farmers for their loss,” said general secretary of the association, Samir Pradhan.

The factory started its operation from December 22 last and aimed to crush around 1.60 lakh MT of sugarcane, out of which around 57,800 MT have been crushed so far.