Patna, May 22: Central University of Bihar has selected RITES Ltd as the project management consultant for its Gaya campus.

The registrar of the university, Mohammed Nehal, said: “We have selected RITES, a public sector undertaking, to act as consultant for the construction of the Gaya campus.” The campus would be constructed over an area of 300 acres in the south Bihar district, around 110km from Patna. It would be eco-friendly and energy efficient.

Sources said RITES was chosen as it has helped construct Central University of Rajasthan in Ajmer and Central University of Himachal Pradesh. The next step would be the selection of an architect. The university will invite applications based on a competition. Sources said if everything goes according to plan, the campus should be ready by the end of the Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012-2017). It would have 14 departments, administrative blocks, hostel and accommodation facility for teachers and students and other facilities.

“Once built, 5,000 people could be accommodated,” said registrar Nehal. On April 4, the varsity launched four postgraduate and four undergraduate programmes in political science, sociology, Hindi and English from a four-storeyed building in Gaya town.

A number of other programmes are being conducted at its Patna campus.

In July last year, the Union cabinet gave its nod for two central universities in the state — in Gaya and Motihari.