An office of Sikkim University in Gangtok

New Delhi, Feb. 4: Sikkim University has not been able to start setting up its permanent campus near Gangtok because of delay in transfer of land.

Begun with the goal of making it an education hub for the whole of Southeast Asia, the varsity has been functioning from 15 rented buildings in Gangtok since July 2007.

All its plans of having a world-class campus with a central school, advanced research facilities, a library and hospital facilities for staff and students have been hanging fire because 300 acres have yet to be handed over by the state government.

In 2007, an human resource development ministry committee had selected a site near Yangang, about 50km from Gangtok, for the campus. Under provisions of the Sikkim University Act, the land has to be provided free to the varsity by the hosting state.

However, in August that year, the Sikkim government requested the university to cough up Rs 15 crore as it would have to spend Rs 30 crore to acquire the plot from some 86 landowners. The varsity forwarded the request to the HRD ministry.

In April 2009, the ministry paid the university Rs 15 crore in two instalments to facilitate the land acquisition process. The money was then forwarded to the state government, which compensated the landowners but did not serve them notices to vacate the land.

Between April and June 2010, the varsity received four letters from the state asking it to take over the land. But whenever its team went to formalise the takeover, it found that none of the landowners had vacated their plots.

Sources said the varsity authorities had decided to take over the land only when there were “no encumbrances in the process”.

Irked by the unending delay, the varsity’s executive council sought the ministry’s intervention in November 2010 and also urged it to consider relocating the campus if the handover does not happen by March this year.

“The House (executive council) resolved that the matter be taken up by the ministry of HRD immediately with the government of Sikkim,” the November 3 resolution said.

“The ministry is also requested to consider other options, including relocation of the university, if the land is not handed over to the university during the current financial year (2010-11).”

According to the sources, the state government had not thought it necessary to serve formal notices on the compensated landowners. It had expected them to leave by default and the university to handle those who did not.

Other reports said the state proposed to hand over the land only after roads were built, which would mean another four-five years.

At present, the varsity is offering about 20 programmes and spending about a crore a year as rent for its 15 buildings. It has 500 students and about 50 faculty members.