Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (right) and agriculture minister Pramila Rani Brahma at the foundation stone laying ceremony in Kokrajhar on Wednesday. Picture by UB Photos

Kokrajhar, Feb. 9: The foundation stones of three educational institutions — including a medical college and a nursing college and an engineering college — were laid today during a function at Bodofa Nwgwr in Kokrajhar.

During the function, Assam health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the foundation stone of Kokrajhar Medical College.

Minister of agriculture and welfare of plains tribes and backward classes Pramila Rani Brahma laid the foundation stone for Kokrajhar Nursing College, while BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary laid the foundation stone of Udalguri Engineering College.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who was scheduled to attend the ceremony, could not come because of bad weather.

Educationist, intellectuals and student communities hope that the announcement does not just remain on paper and meet the same fate as that of many big government projects after the elections.

“We welcome the medical college, nursing college and the engineering college, but we hope that it does not remain just on paper and on the stone plate as in the case of Bodoland University which is yet to function,” said college lecturer D. Basumatry.

The Assam Assembly passed the Bodoland University Bill, 2009, to upgrade the Kokrajhar campus of Gauhati University at Debargaon into a full-fledged university and appointed a vice-chancellor to start the work, but there has been no progress till date.

According to sources, the university could not be started, as the state government did not pass the budgetary provisions during the last Assam Assembly session.

Later, talking to reporters, the minister said the proposed medical college would be completed in 36 months. He, however, did not say anything about the nursing and engineering college.

Asked about the fate of Bodoland University in Kokrajhar, the minister said, “It takes seven years for a university to function fully with staff. It cannot happen in a year or two. It took five years for Jorhat Medical College to function. It is on track.”