Hyderabad: After a long gap, studies at the Osmania University resumed on Friday as students turned up in decent numbers to attend second and fourth semester classes.

A good strength of students from the science department attended the classes while those of the Arts department were fewer.

Some students sat on the relay hunger strike at Arts College despite the classes starting normally in the campus.

Academic activity was also witnessed at the constituent colleges.

The Vice Chancellor, T. Tirupati Rao visited the resumed status of the college by reviewing the teaching arrangements with the principals and faculty as well as visiting the science, law, commerce & management departments and the University College for Women in Koti.

Discussing the almanac, teaching plan and conduct of classes with the principals and faculty he expressed a dire need to protect the larger interests of students and save the academic year.

He called upon the responsibility of the faculty to counsel and motivate the students to attend classes.

Since the inception of the Telangana agitation in December, academic activity in the OU campus, constituent and affiliated colleges have been almost nil.

To ensure that students did not lose the academic year, the university decided to commence second and fourth semester classes from Friday, though the first and third semester examinations were postponed indefinitely.

Inaugurating the centrally sanctioned Women's Study Centre at the University College for Women, Koti, the Vice-Chancellor said that, "The new centre should focus on strong research activities and through extension and outreach activities students should take up dissemination of knowledge on the emerging issues in the field."

Director of the centre, A.Muralidhar Rao, said that the centre would carry on training and advocacy and forge linkages with international institutions.

An international seminar on 'Women and Higher Education in Asian Economies' would be organised by the centre as its major activity shortly. L.M.Sarada, Principal of the college, was present.

The Vice-Chancellor also inaugurated the newly set up commerce laboratory at the college.

Akbar Ali Khan of the Department of Commerce explained the pedagogic features and facilities of the laboratory.