Plot hunt for university
A STAFF REPORTER May 25: With an aim of turning Guwahati into one of
the most sought-after destinations for higher education, Dispur has started
scouting for a plot in and around the capital city to set up a world-class
university.
Sources in the chief ministers office said the revenue department last week
directed the Kamrup and Kamrup (metro) districts to identify a 700-acre plot to
set up the university.
Guwahati was shortlisted by the human resource development ministry as one of
the suitable places for setting up of world-class universities.
Having lost the IIM race to Shillong, Dispur this time has swung into action
to identify the plot, soon after getting the Centres nod to set up f the
university early this month.
Those in the administration believe that the Centre could change the image of
the state in a positive way and development of the education sector could help
generate jobs as well as stop flight of capital to other cities. Students from
the state, who can afford, usually go to other cities and metros to pursue
higher education.
It is understood that Kamrup is better placed to find the desired plot than
Kamrup (metro) district. Chandrapur and Sonapur are the areas within the metro
administration with spare land, which can meet the requirements of Dispur. Both
the district administrations have deputed officers to identify the plot.
Though the Kamrum (metro) deputy commissioner could not be contacted, the
deputy commissioner of Kamrup, R.C. Jain, confirmed having received such a
directive from Dispur. We have started work on the directive. We are hopeful
of finding a suitable plot, he said.
Sources in both the district administrations said if the government gives its
approval then private plots could also be bought in exchange of adequate
compensation. Acquiring a huge plot in and around the city will not be easy
but if we get the governments approval, then we can try and acquire private
plots, one of them said.
On March 28, the HRD ministry had announced the setting up of the 14 world
class universities along with eight new IITs and seven IIMs.
Besides Guwahati, the 13 cities which have been chosen for setting up of the
world class institutions are Pune, Calcutta, Coimbatore, Mysore, Vishakapatnam,
Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Patna, Bhopal, Kochi, Amritsar, Bhubaneswar and Greater
Noida.
Education department sources said world class universities would be an
updated version of central universities. Since the HRD ministry had made it
clear that establishment of the IITs, IIMs and central universities in the
above cities was subject to state governments offering adequate land at
suitable locations free of cost, we are not wasting any time. It is a big
project, a source in the education department said.
(The Telegraph,26.05.2008)
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080526/jsp/guwahati/story_9319889.jsp
---------------------------------
From Chandigarh to Chennai - find friends all over India. Click here.
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
