The Patna district administration has speeded up the process of land acquisition for the National Institute of Technology (NIT)-Patna's new campus in Bihta, days after chief minister Nitish Kumar pulled up his own bureaucrats for the delay.

On Monday, Patna district magistrate (DM) Sanjay Kumar Agarwal Sanjay visited Bihta. He told The Telegraph that a four-member committee headed by him "will study the problems behind the delay of land acquisition and it is likely that NIT-Patna will get possession of the land in 15 to 20 days."

At the institute's alumni meet on Sunday, Nitish, a 1972-batch electrical engineer from the Bihar College of Engineering (BCE) that is now NIT, was at pains recalling how he had promised 100 acres of land to the institute about five years ago, and how he had failed to keep his word. Nitish had pulled up Chanchal Kumar, secretary, CM secretariat, and Patna district magistrate (DM) Sanjay Kumar Agarwal for the delay - albeit in good humour. He had ribbed Chanchal, saying: "Chanchal is an IIT graduate. When I announced to provide 500 acres of land for IIT-Patna, Chanchal swung into swift action. You can see that IIT-Patna has shifted to its new campus at Bihta. But look at the plight of NIT, which is battling for land even after five years."

The chief minister had instructed Sanjay and Chanchal to ensure NIT got the land without further delay.

Some farmers had approached Patna High Court against the land acquisition for the new campus, demanding higher compensation. The committee will seek advice from legal experts for early settlement of the case and for ensuring that the farmers are compensated.

The chief minister had promised the land in 2010 and the institute received a letter in this connection from the state government in 2011. The NIT-Patna administration had paid Rs 7 crore to the state building construction department to build the boundary wall of the new campus after receiving the letter, but the construction has not started.

The institute authorities were happy with the new push. "We are happy that the administration has initiated steps for land acquisition, but we will be happier when we get possession of the land," said NIT-Patna director Asok De.

NIT has selected Mukesh & Associates to design the new campus. The institute will float a tender for the selection of the construction company after getting possession of the land. The institute will increase its present student strength of 3,500 after shifting to the new campus with the launch of new courses such as automobile engineering, applied mechanics and urban planning.