KBK News: Team visited sites for Central University in Koraput

Koraput CU: Team seeks clarifications
Expressbuzz, June 15, 2009

BHUBANESWAR: A five-member team headed by Joint Secretary, Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development Sunil Kumar today visited two sites in Koraput district for the proposed Central University.

The team could not finalise any of the sites for the institute.

Kumar reportedly made some queries about the two locations from the Government.

Higher Education Secretary Madhusudan Padhi who was part of the team told this paper that the team leader wanted some clarifications on the two sites and this will be complied within a week.

The Government has identified 575 acre of land near Koraput railway station and another site at Sunabeda. Although the team found both the sites suitable, the HRD Ministry will take a decision after getting necessary clarification from the State Government. The site near Koraput town is 3 km from the National Highway-43 and the nearest airport at Visakhapatnam is 230 km away and the Jeypore airstrip is at a distance of 30 km.

Vice-Chancellor of the Central University Prof Surabhi Banerjee, Vice-Chancellor Mizoram University AN Ray and the joint secretary of University Grant Commission were the other members of the site selection committee.

They left for Visakhapatnam from where they will fly to Delhi tomorrow.

Responding to a query on the proposed Central University in the Assembly on Thursday, Higher Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra informed the House about the visit of the site selection committee headed by Kumar.

The Government is seriously planning to start the Central University from the current academic year and had proposed the HRD Ministry for temporary accommodation of the institute in the building of National Silkworm Seed Organisation near Koraput.