Bhubaneswar, Nov 7: Tension prevailed at Utkal University in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday as the protest against the allotment of varsity’s land to Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) continued on the campus.
Former students staged a protest near the university gate and the Vice-Chancellor (VC) office by burning tyres. They also shouted slogans against the VC.
As per the students, the varsity is planning to hand over 20 acres of its land near the main gate to Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL). The projects which are planned on the said land include drain water treatment, Panthaniwas, park and a food-court, the cost of which will be around Rs 40 crore.
Though the university had also provided NOC to BSCL for development of the said land near the Directorate of Distance and Continuing Education (DDCE) in April this year, the matter came to the notice of the students last week.
The state of several departments of the University is poor. Instead of focusing on useless things, the varsity should consider ensuring an educational atmosphere in the campus and about providing new technologies in the departments for betterment of the students, said a former student leader Sudarsan Das.
Why the government is trying to grab the University’s land. First it took Lord Jagannath’s land and now it is eyeing on the land of various Universities, which is embarrassing. Several former student leaders have said that if the dignity of the University will be destroyed in this way, it will be strongly opposed in the coming days, said another former student leader Rajendra Panda.
We have met the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University and had a discussion in this regard. The VC assured that he will inform everyone about the full details of the land allotment in writing, Panda added.
However, the VC couldn’t be contacted for comments on the issue.
