Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
The PAU regional centre in Bathinda. A Tribune photo
Bathinda, November 26
If the state government has its way, the proposed ‘Edu City’ in Bathinda would come up on the 200-acre regional centre of the Punjab Agricultural University here.
Malwa’s gain in the form of an education hub, therefore, may turn out to be a loss for the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana.
Such education hubs, also to be set up in Ludhiana, Mohali and Amritsar, are the dream projects of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. National and international-level universities and institutes would be provided land to set up their campuses in these edu cities.
Sources said the PAU’s regional campus, situated on the Bathinda-Dabwali road on the city’s outskirts, worth hundreds of crores of rupees, has been chosen as the “ideal” place for the Edu City.
The PAU authorities, however, are yet to agree to the proposal. Sources said the state government was looking for an alternative piece of land for the regional centre.
Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav said talks were being held to set up the Edu City on PAU’s land, though no final decision had been taken so far. “We have formed a committee of the district administration officials to look for an alternative piece of land for the regional campus,” he said.
Sources said the PAU authorities, however, were yet to be consulted on the matter. The PAU may object to the proposal as several important projects, including cotton research, were under way on the campus. A few of these projects were being financed by foreign countries.
A PAU official said it would not be right to shift the campus. “Earlier, the PAU resisted a similar move by the state government to acquire its land in Ludhiana. The issue had brought the state government and a former vice-chancellor at loggerheads,” he said.
The official also questioned the wisdom behind shifting a fully functional educational institute to set up a new venture whose future was debatable since the Central University, Bathinda, was yet to take off fully due to non-availability of qualified staff.
link : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121127/punjab.htm#2
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