Can Lakhimpur veterinary college regain its lost glory? >From A Correspondent NORTH LAKHIMPUR, Nov 5 The only second veterinary college of the State and only higher institute of applied science on the entire north bank of the Brahmaputra, Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science, Azad has been under severe crisis as the institute has already been derecognised by the Veterinary Council of India in 2005.
Founded on Apirl 1, 1987 after State governments proposal to Indian Council of Agricultural Research in the meeting at Guwahati on July 5-6, 1986, the college was slotted to Lakhimpur district for its zero-industrial base and backwardness, has produced 1,400 veterinary doctors to cater the various needs in this sector of the State and implement various development schemes under the Seventh Five-Year Plan. The college was initially set up temporarily at the huge and unused compound of the Bovine Contagious Pleura Pneumonia (BCPP) located in Azad, about 10 km away from district headquarters of North Lakhimpur. The objective of the veterinary college was to create veterinary doctors in the Assam-Arunachal border areas, motivate local people to develop animal husbandry, livestock and become self-reliant by animal farming such as diary, poultry and allied sectors with scientific aides and assistance from the college. Assam government allotted 984 bigha land for the permanent campus of the college at Zoihing, some 12 km away from North Lakhimpur. The then Chief Minister, Prafulla Mahanta laid the foundation stone of the veterinary college at Zoihing on October 29, 1987 and works progressed satisfactorily till the 80 per cent of the total construction. However construction of the college at Zoihing stopped abruptly with non-availability of funds. According to Dr Amarendra Gogoi, ex-veterinary director, Govt of Arunachal Pradesh and a senior citizen of North Lakhimpur, who has been highlighting the issue of the veterinary college of Lakhimpur from various media platforms, trouble began when the Veterinary Council of Indias report by the special committee suggested the shifting of the college to Veterinary College, Khanapara, Guwahati in 1994-95. The specialists committee of the VCI cited the lack of proper infrastructure such as housing, laboratory, electric supply and communication facilities as required by the syllabus of the council. According to Dr Gogoi that was the beginning of the irregularities concerning the existence of the college of veterinary science in Lakhimpur after five years of its successful running since 1988. Special committees report of the VCI suspended admissions to the veterinary college in Lakhimpur and remaining students of the BVSc & AH were shifted to the college at Khanapara from 1996. Till 1994, Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science-Azad produced 86 graduates. Students selected for admission to the college in 1996-97 and 1997-98 academic session were made to enroll in the college at Khanapara from second year of the bachelors course after completing the first year at Lakhimpur. The college was running somehow or other under that system till 2005 when it lost recognitions of the VCI. Dr Amarendra Gogoi points out that the VCI, after inspecting the Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science-Azad in March, 2006, in its confidential report to Assam Agricultural University vide Ref No. 1.5/VCI/2004, Dated 15.03.2003 gave two suggestions. The first was that the AAU should introduce two more semesters after the completion of first year of the BVSc & AH course in the veterinary college of Lakhimpur each year to transform it into a full-fledged college by transferring concerned teachers from Khanapara to North Lakhimpur. The second suggestion was that the AAU should acknowledge its inability to run the college at Lakhimpur established sixteen years ago then. VCI waited for reply from the AAU which was never given in this regard. Repeated requests and pleas made by Dean of the College Dr Bhupendra Nath Goswami and Lakhimpur MP, Dr Arun Sharma to Dean of the Khanapara College over the issue also yielded no results. Lack of interest by a section of teachers of AAU-Khanapara campus to come and join the veterinary college in Lakhimpur also made matters worse. Teachers association of the AAU wrote to Vice Chancellor of the AAU vide letter No. AAUTA (VF)/LD/2002-03 suggesting the amalgamation of Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science-Azad with that of Khanapara till the completion of the construction of buildings. It also wrote to the VC that, ...when the university is reeling under acute financial crisis, the continuation of Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science-Azad is only a futile exercise in imparting education to the students.. AAU authorities proposed North East Council with a scheme of almost Rs 15 crore to meet its financial crisis. The NEC, however, turned down the proposal for the non-submission of utilisation certificate of Rs 40 lakh it had earlier provided for the development of the veterinary college at Lakhimpur. Planning and Development branch of state government also informed the NEC not to take up any schemes for the same college. Amidst that background, VCI sent a high-power delegation team to North Lakhimpur in March, 2005 to study prospects of the continuation of Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science-Azad. On its report VCI declared withdrawal of recognition to the college through a letter on April 29, 2005, making an end to an institute which was established in 1988 for a noble cause. (The Assam Tribune,06.11.2007)
