HIDCO to approach Kala Bhavan to design Biswa Bangla University

West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) will request authorities of the Visva-Bharati University to get assistance from Kala Bhavan – the university’s  fine arts faculty – to sketch the design of the proposed Biswa Bangla University campus, which is set to come at Santiniketan.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced setting up of the university at the state level convention of teachers, organised by the Higher Education department at Netaji Indoor Stadium on January 7.

Subsequently, on January 10 Banerjee visited the site where the university will be built. She was accompanied by state Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim, Fisheries minister Chandranath Sinha Principal Secretary (Higher Education) Vivek Kumar and additional Chief Secretary and HIDCO chairman Debashis Sen.

The university will come up on 18 acre. HIDCO has been entrusted with the job of making the plan. The cost of the proposed varsity is being calculated. A high-level meeting between senior officials of HIDCO and Santiniketan-Sriniketran Development authority (SSDA) was held Monday afternoon. The head of Design Studies of Kala Bhavan was also present at the meeting.

The proposed campus will be an amalgamation of tradition and modernity. Inspiration from Rabindranath Tagore in constructing the structures in Visva-Bharati will be kept in mind while making the design.

It was decided that the buildings will not be very tall so that the ambience of the area is not destroyed. There will be plenty of tall trees. A central food court will also be built and a room for visitors will be constructed. There also will be a centre where students will get all necessary information about the subjects that are being taught, course fees etc.

This is for the first time that HIDCO will be making plans for a university. Once the plan is finalised, construction work will begin. The Chief Minister wants the university to be of international standard.