Even as the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, has expressed readiness to establish a campus in Kalahandi district and sought clearance from the State Government for over last two years, the inaction and inordinate delay by the State in responding to the proposal has raised concern among the intellectuals.
NRO (non-resident Odia) Prof Digambara Patra of American University of Beirut in Lebanon has shot off a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik requesting him to take a positive response to the proposal by IGNTU without further delays.
Notably, the IGNTU, Amarkantak has already made it clear that it has received proposal from the Union Ministry of Human Resource (MHRD) to establish a campus in Kalahandi but it is still waiting for the response to its letter on April 27, 2010 from the Odisha Government.
Kalahandi ADM had informed to the Department of Higher Education Secretary citing availability of suitable land in Thuamul Rampur for the campus on October 12, 2010. However, as a tactic to cause further delay, recently, the State Government has yet again sought information from the Kalahandi administration on whether the identified 300 acres of land land is available for the campus along with presence of an approach road connecting either the State or National Highway, electrical connectivity and drinking water facilities in the identified land. In a directive to the Kalahandi Collector last week, ST and SC Development Department Director SK Popli has sought the details at the earliest.
Patra said there are many sites in Kalahandi which have more than 300 acres of land having well connection with State Highway or National Highway besides access to electricity and drinking water facilities. So land is not a problem but all that is needed is the Government must act in a positive bent of mind, said Patra.
Citing that when the State Government is spending crores of rupees to facilitate road, electricity and drinking water for establishment of a national institute like IIT near to the State capital, he said it will be very unjustified and unfortunate if the Government can’t be equally proactive while establishing an IGNTU campus in Kalahandi which would specially cater to the need of the tribal population in the State.
Patra said, “In fact, Odisha has a greater responsibility for tribal community as it houses 62 different kinds of tribal groups and at least one in every five people in Odisha is a tribal.When Andhra Pradesh Government where one out of 15people is a tribal, has already taken pro-active initiative to indentify land for a similar IGNTU campus, there is no reason why Odisha should lag behind.”
When honorable CM is taking personal interest in the development of the KBK region and tribal people, it is astounding that a new opportunity in the form of IGNTU regional campus in Kalahandi for the advantage of the tribals is being nauseatingly disregarded, he lamented and alleged that due to the recklessness of the State Higher Education Department authorities, the IGNTU campus is delayed for more than two years.
Patra urged the Government to recommend the identified land in Kalahandi to IGNTU authorities and the Union Ministry of Human Resource (MHRD) to establish the regional campus as soon as possible.
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