NRI slams MP’s idea for 2nd Central varsity in Bhubaneswar

The Pioneer, Dec 9, 2009
PNS | Bhubaneswar

Odia NRI activist Digambara Patra has shot an e-mail to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and all MPs from Odisha expressing his anguish this time over BJD MP Prasanna Patsani’s suggestion in the Lok Sabha for establishing a second Central University in Odisha in the line of Jammu and Kashmir in Bhubaneswar.

It is appreciable that the MP has taken a good initiative for Odisha, however, unfortunately he has again identified the location as Bhubaneswar which is already having many Central Government institutions, he lamented in the letter. The State capital is already having or is proposed to have NISER, IIT, AIIMS, etc which are of the same stature of national university, apart from railway medical college, ESIC medical colleges and many national-level research institutions, he pointed out.

In the line of Jammu and Kashmir for two Central Universities in the State, the location which deserves the second one in the State is Kalahandi, as it has been fighting for the same since the past two decades. But sadly, the Odisha CM did not keep his promise to the local people, he mentioned further viewing that the issue of Central University in Jammu and Kashmir is similar to what happened in Odisha between Koraput and Kalahandi.

Establishing more number of Central-funded institutions in KBK will bring inclusive growth of the region, Patra, an assistant professor in Chemistry at the American University of Beirut, felt.

Western Odisha has not got a single Central Government institutions recently whereas Central University and IIIT were established in southern Odisha and many other institutions came up in central Odisha, he rued further.

Instead of bringing politics, all the MPs from Odisha should come forward and fight for a second Central University in Odisha to be located in Kalahandi, he appealed reminding a report published in this paper recently on the demand for a second Central University in the State to be established in Kalahandi.

Being a well-known politician, writer and social worker, Patsani should rather support such demand instead of making a richer location more richer which would only result in more regional imbalance in the State, he opined.