South Dinajpur: Earthwork to begin soon for proposed varsity
BALURGHAT: The earthwork for the proposed university in South Dinajpur will soon begin, an official source here has informed. It has been decided that the proposed university will be built at Mahinagar Agricultural Training Centre which is around 4 km from here.
A fund or Rs 2,62,59,000 has already been sanctioned for the first phase work from the state government. A plot of 11.07 acres of land has been selected for the new campus.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her tour to South Dinajpur on February 21, 2018 had announced the new university here while addressing a rally in Gangarampur. It was a longstanding demand of the local people too.
Locals and political representatives of both Balurghat and Gangarampur subdivisions had earlier been divided in two groups and demanded the same to the state government separately. A group demanded it for Balurghat while the other claimed the same for Gangarampur.
In order to pacify the tension between two conflicting groups, the state team from Kolkata visited two places separately in Balurghat and Gangarampur where the proposed university campus could be set up. Initially the team had selected two places-Mahinagar Agriculture Training Centre located outskirt of Balurghat and another place adjacent to Block Agriculture Office in Gangarampur.
Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Arpita Ghosh demanded the new university campus for Balurghat. Finally Partho Chatterjee, the state education minister said the university will be built up in Balurghat and thus the confusion removed.
Recently the district administration has also taken initiative to set up the university as early as possible at the selected land in Mahinagar.
On July 7, the officials from district administration, PWD, Electricity and Agriculture department inspected the site.
A local educationist and activist for the university Krishna Pada Mondal said: "It was quite expected that the new university will be set up at district headquarter Balurghat. The city is one of the most cultural towns in the state. We hope to get the university soon."
