Hall of fame to come up at Kanika library in Ravenshaw University. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Oct. 16: Ravenshaw University will shortly set up a “hall of fame” to pay tributes to eminent personalities, who have brought glory to the state as well as the varsity.

Portraits of prominent personalities will be displayed at the renovated Kanika library on the campus.

“The proposal to this effect was approved during the academic council meeting held yesterday,” said vice-chancellor B.C. Tripathy. He said the hall of fame would initially function from the Kanika library, and subsequently, a separate room or hall would be built for the proposed project.

An official said that so far a decision for installing a statue of T.E. Ravenshaw, the founder of the college (now Ravenshaw University), has been finalised.

“We will set up a panel to select the personalities whose portrait or statue will feature in the hall of fame,” said registrar Padan Kumar Jena.

Eminent historians, experts from various fields and retired teachers would be included in the team that will be entrusted with the task of finalising the names.

The university authorities said adequate measures were also being taken to develop infrastructure that would in return boost the quality of education at the varsity.

The work for the construction of a lecture theatre complex has started near the commerce block. The proposed complex would be crucial in resolving the shortage of classrooms on the campus. The proposed three-storey complex will have four halls with a seating capacity for 250 students each.

Apart from the theatre complex, there would be six new halls with a seating capacity for 140 students each and 92 dedicated cabins, along with spacious seating arrangement for the lecturers. Earlier, teachers and students used to face space constraints due to lack of adequate classrooms at the varsity.

The student population at the varsity is nearly 7,000, but Ravenshaw Junior College is using the bulk of the classrooms.

Ravenshaw Junior College is functioning on the Ravenshaw University campus since the college lacks its own infrastructure. Officials and students of the junior college, therefore, depend on the available resources at the varsity.

A university official said the project had been estimated at Rs 13 crore.

The initial construction has begun with financial assistance from the University Grants Commission.