Sunabeda in Koraput district is the choice for Central University of Orissa by MHRD

Site selected for central varsity
Tathya.in, Bhubaneswar:24/July/2009

The new Central University will be established at Sunabeda, 17 kilometer away from Koraput.

R D Sahay, Director Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) has informed the Department of Higher Education (DHE) here on 23 July.

In a letter to the Secretary DHE, Mr.Sahay has informed that MHRD has decided in principle to set up the Central University in the 450 acre of land at Sunabeda.

A five-member team headed by Sunil Kumar, Joint Secretary, Higher Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on 14 June visited both the sites, Koraput and Sunabeda in Koraput district for the new Central University.

Number one choice for the team was the site at Sunabeda, which lies by the side of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The land is on a plain surface and is better located than the site which is 3 kilometers away from Koraput with an area of 575 acres.

The Koraput site lies in a hilly area and 4 hills are dividing the place, making it preferable for a hill station, not a university campus, said an official.

The place has no independent access to the land and it has to be through the land of the Indian Railways.

Over the land 132 KV power line has been erected, making it impossible to construct any structure unless these lines are shifted elsewhere.

However the team reportedly favored the Sunabeda site, which for them was more suitable for the new University.
The Team which included Dr.Renu Batra, Joint Secretary of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Prof. A N Rai, Vice Chancellor Mizoram University, Madhu Sudan Padhi, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Higher Education department and Surabhi Benarjee, Vice Chancellor of the CUO.

With the intention of MHRD is clear about the site, DHE will move to Koraput district administration to acquire the land for the varsity, said sources.