Cuttack, Nov. 1: Ravenshaw University authorities have decided to start work on the proposed second campus nearly two years after land was allotted to them.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik is expected to lay the foundation stone for the new campus on November 15. The state government had allotted 141 acres at Brajabiharipur Mauza in Athgarh tehsil on the city outskirts to the university authorities for the project.
But the officials have been able to acquire only 126.4 acres so far. They said that though six acres of the allotted land was caught up in legal tangles, they will make do with the available land.
“We have requested the chief minister to lay the foundation stone on Ravenshaw’s foundation day on November 15. We will pursue the issue within a couple of days as we have not yet received a confirmation from the chief minister’s office,” said vice-chancellor B.C. Tripathy.
The existing campus, which spreads over 100 acres, was initially designed to accommodate only 500 students. However, with 500 rooms and 34 laboratories, the campus was under pressure as the university has a student population of over 8,000. Officials said they have sought financial assistance of Rs 150 crore from the University Grants Commission (UGC) as well as the state government to build the second campus. There are plans to set up a state-of-the-art library, canteen, hostels and classrooms, besides starting various schools of studies, including schools of life sciences, material sciences, and international studies, among others.
“We are planning to start around eight or nine schools of sciences, but everything will depend on the faculty to be sanctioned by the state government,” Tripathy said. He said that they had demanded creation of 220 new faculty positions to impart education on the two campuses.