• Chanakya National Law University
• Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna
• National Institute of Fashion Technology
• Aryabhatta Knowledge University
• Indira Gandhi National Open University
All at one place. Mithapur.

How would you like to picture the place that is supposed to be the education hub of Bihar?

If you think it is one of the cleanest cities in Bihar that can facilitate higher education then the Mithapur mess will shock you.

The upcoming education hub in Patna's outskirts lacks fundamental facilities.

The 1-km stretch on Mithapur's western side houses the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) and Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna (CIMP). To add to the lustrous club of elite institutions, the Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU) and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou) Patna centre are also coming up in the same area.

But all the institutions have one common problem.

Lack of drainage facility to drain out water gushing into the campuses from an adjacent old drain. The infamous drain of Mithapur on the western side touches the boundary wall that bifurcates the city between the institutes and the residences.

In 2009, when the state government decided to develop Mithapur, which was a large marshy land known for unbridled criminal activities, a drainage network on the western side was also planned.

The CNLU, which was the first institute to come up on 18 acres of the land, had even prepared a masterplan of a drainage network.

An official with the CNLU said: 'In 2009, when Sushil Kumar Modi was the deputy chief minister, the state government had sanctioned Rs 2.47 crore for construction of a drainage network on the west of Mithapur. The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) was supposed to construct the sewage, but even after eight years the network was never built.'

In absence of proper drainage, water from the educational institutions flows into the old drain, which eventually reaches the boundary wall that separates the institutions and the rest of the city. During monsoon, the institutions face massive waterlogging, as the water from the old drain enters the campuses.

CNLU student Piyush Ranjan said: 'Last month when incessant rain lashed Patna, water entered our campus from the drain. For a day it was difficult to move as filth from the drain had filled the campus.'

To add to the drainage woes, bad roads and poor transportation are some of the major problems that are affecting the development of the area. As the construction of the Mithapur flyover is on for over a year, the main road leading to the institutions is filled with potholes and water.

NIFT student Gaurav Anand said: 'Going outside the campus is a tough task. The pothole-riddled road claimed a few lives. But even after a year the flyover is far from complete.'

The problem doesn't end here.

The main entrance of Mithapur bus stand, which can host quite a number of vehicles at one time, is adjacent to the CIMP campus gate.

Since the bus stand is metres away from the institution gate, most bus drivers haphazardly park their vehicles in front of the campus.

A CIMP student said: 'Because of the bus stand we face eve-teasing incidents. Many times people pass lewd comments seeing us outside the campus.'

Mithapur, which was to be developed as a learning hub of Bihar, was supposed to have a common facility centre with a football ground, indoor sports hall, basketball court, tennis court, parking facilities, auditorium, health centre, utility centre-cum-guest house and a fire station on 9.5 acres.

In 2015, the district administration had decided to develop the area but even after two years, the proposal is still on papers.

CNLU registrar S.P. Singh, who is a member of the committee constituted by the district administration to develop the area, said: 'Several rounds of meetings have been done with the district administration and officials from the various institutes but nothing concrete has been done.'

Last month, Patna commissioner Anand Kishor had a meeting and gave the go-ahead for the construction of the common facility centre.

Kishor said: 'The idea is to provide sporting facilities to the students in Mithapur. We have asked the officials from the building construction department to prepare a detailed project report on this. The next meeting has been slated on September 12.'

At the meeting, the waterlogging problem was also discussed and the officials were directed to solve it as soon as possible.

The idea behind developing the common facility centre is to create a recreation base for students of all the institutions in Mithapur.

As the campuses of the institutions are small and have no individual playgrounds and indoor stadiums, the common facility centre idea came up.

The Patna commissioner said a massive beautification programme will be carried out in the area to make Mithapur a true education landmark of Bihar.