The Telegraph report published on August 9, 2013

The gaping hole in the boundary wall of Nalanda University would be plugged soon. Fulfilling the demand of Kuberpur villagers for an alternative passage, the state government has decided to lay a 3.5km road for them.

The state rural works department is expected to start the road construction work within two months. The road-laying work would continue for four months.

Chandra Mohan, the block development officer of Rajgir, told The Telegraph on Wednesday: “Approval has been given for constructing a road from Kuberpur to the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) camp, 4.5km west of Virayatan. As villagers have agreed to the road plan, we expect the remaining part of the boundary wall to be erected soon.”

Sources said the rural works department would select the firm for constructing the wall within a month. “The firm would be given a month as mobilisation period. It would take around four months to construct the road,” said a senior official of the rural works department.

Kuberpur village is on the southwest side of the sprawling Nalanda University campus. The Telegraph in its August 9, 2013 edition had reported that the varsity boundary wall could not be erected on a stretch of around 20ft on the southwest-end of the upcoming campus because of stiff opposition from the residents of Kuberpur village.

Claiming that the boundary wall would block their only existing pathway to the Rajgir-Chhabilapur road along the northern side of the campus, the villagers compelled Allied Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd — the agency selected to execute the work — to leave the gaping hole. The residents of Kuberpur village claimed that they would have to take a detour of around 10km to reach the Rajgir-Chhabilapur road if the hole in the boundary wall was plugged.

At present, they have to walk just 2km through the varsity campus to reach the Rajgir-Chhabilapur road. After the new road is laid, they would have to walk around 3.5km to reach the main road. Sources said the villagers were not averse to walking around 1.5km extra for a larger cause — an international seat of education. With the villagers agreeing to the route of the proposed road, the varsity boundary wall would be completed soon. A senior official of Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL), the nodal agency for executing the boundary wall work, said: “The remaining part of the boundary wall can be completed within two to three days.”

Nalanda University had signed an agreement with BRPNNL — an undertaking of the state road construction department — on November 3, 2011 for construction of the wall along the varsity campus. BRPNNL had appointed Allied Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd to construct the wall with an estimated outlay of Rs 10.19 crore.