Kosal Discussion and Development Forum

Central University of Odisha, Koraput still neglected

October 3, 2010 at 9:08 am sanjibkarmee Leave a comment

Following report is from the Pioneer:

After a lot of agitation and pressure on the Government of India, Odisha got its share of a Central University about two years back. The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) allowed the Central University of Odisha to be located at Koraput.

Though it was expected to be established in Bhawanipatna, the Kalahandi district headquarters, the State Government’s insistence forced the MHRD to set it up at Koraput. Then, Professor Surabhi Banerjee was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the university. After that, the university’s executive council was formed with luminaries like MS Swaminathan, MR Madhav Menon, MM Salunkhe, Pramod Tandon, Sushanta Dattagupta and a few others as its members.

But the executive council, which held its sixth meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, has never met at Koraput during the last two years. The meeting is held either in Bhubaneswar or New Delhi. The Vice-Chancellor spends most of her time commuting between Kolkota, New Delhi and Bhubaneswar. She hardly visits Koraput and takes stock of the situation.

The Registrar of the university sits at Bhubaneswar and Financial Advisor is also following in the footsteps of the Registrar. And students are left to themselves with faculty members to take care of the situation. Problems are galore and for day-to-day difficulties there is nobody to take care of as the VC and Registrar stay hundreds of miles away.

This is the only university in the country where such type of arrangements are tolerated, rued a leading educationist. Leading non-resident Odias (NROs), who were creating tremendous pressure on the Central Government to establish the university, seem to have sealed their lips, lamented he. And the State’s Minister Higher Education is yet to visit the campus for a detailed study of the problems faced by the students. He had come here only for the inauguration of the university along with Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal.

The State Government is hardly consulted by the university authorities, and establishment of the university’s permanent campus here is hanging in balance, said sources.

Entry filed under: Education, Kalahandi Balangir Koraput (KBK) region, State and Central govt. and KBK.