Siliguri, Sept. 12: The University Grants Commission has sanctioned Rs 1.2 crore to set up food processing and pharmaceutical technology departments at the North Bengal University.

The authorities said the new departments would be set up on the proposed second campus of the university in Jalpaiguri.

“We had sent a proposal to the UGC a year-and-a-half ago asking them to sanction funds for five new departments of Hindi, mass communication, microbiology, pharmaceutical technology, and food processing technology. Earlier this month they sanctioned Rs 60 lakh each for the two technical departments,” a varsity official said.

Although the proposal did not mention that the departments would be set up on the second campus, authorities have plans to start the courses in Jalpaiguri.

“We had approached the UGC with the proposal of setting up these departments in a general manner. But the two technical departments along with Hindi will be established on the second campus. Funds of Rs 28 lakh was sanctioned by the state government to build the boundary wall around the plot selected for second campus” the official said.

Although a Hindi department is already functioning at the NBU, the varsity authorities plan to start another department on the Jalpaiguri campus considering the number of Hindi-speaking people in the Dooars.

“It (the funds) will be transferred to the public works department in Jalpaiguri next week since they are responsible for the construction of the second campus. The PWD has completed work on a major portion of the boundary wall around the plot. We will urge them to begin the work (for setting up the departments) soon,” P.N. Basak, the joint chief engineer at the NBU, said.

The state government had given the nod to the varsity’s proposal to set up its second campus in Jalpaiguri in November 2009 and a 36.18 acre plot was selected.

With the state government’s delay in granting funds, the varsity decided to start a few courses from buildings leased out by the Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College from the 2011-2012 academic session.

“We had decided to start some courses and were also ready to recruit teachers and official staff. But the governor’s directive preventing varsities from making any recruitments has stalled the process. There are little chances that we will go ahead with the plan this year,” an official said.