AISA members raise slogans and (below) chief minister Nitish Kumar takes guard of honour at Patna College sesquicentenary celebrations on Monday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Jan. 9: Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s gift of Rs 2 crore will be the elixir of life for the oldest college in the state capital. It will help Patna College, once known as the Oxford of the East, to regain some of its lost fame and glory.

This was Nitish’s first visit to the campus since the dispute between his government and the governor over the appointment of vice-chancellors of the state universities surfaced in August last year. Today, he came as the chief guest at the college’s sesquicentenary celebration with largesse and announced a plethora of infrastructure development as well as academic plans.

To fulfil these, the institution will get Rs 2 crore by March-end this year. More will follow in the next fiscal.

Assembly Speaker Udai Narain Choudhary, public health and engineering minister Chandra Mohan Rai and Patna University vice-chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh were present at the function.

The chief minister said: “The state government will provide Patna College with Rs 2 crore by March. In the next fiscal, more funds will be provided.” He also promised the college authorities necessary assistance.

The college administration had submitted a list of construction and renovation work that the college needs to the state human resource development (now education) department in November last year. The renovation plan of Rs 6.5 crore is likely to start soon and will continue into the next year.

The chief minister directed Anjani Kumar Singh, principal secretary, education department, to prepare a road map for the development of the college in consultation with principal Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh.

He also promised a Shatabdi Bhavan to commemorate the sesquicentenary. All vocational courses would be brought under the one roof in this building. At present, the college runs a number of vocational courses like BCA and BBA but their classes are conducted at different places.

The chief minister also addressed the students’ demand for renovation of hostels. The five hostels of the college — Minto, Jackson, Iqbal, Nadvi and New — are in a dilapidated condition, with stinking lavatories, leaking roofs and irregular water supply.

The teachers and students of the college were very happy with the gifts. Principal Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh said: “We would like to thank the chief minister. We will work together to regain the lost glory of the college.”

History second-year student Anuj Verma said: “It is a good step that the government and the college administration are working together for the development of the college.”

Verma had a suggestion, though. “There are many departments in the college that are functioning without sufficient number of teachers. The administration should do something about that,” he said.