Monday 7 May 2012

Central University Bihar (CUB): Kapil Sibal, Nitish Kumar meets to end the location impasse

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New Delhi: It seems now that the deadlock of the proposed Central University in Bihar will come to end in the recent time. On Sunday (May 6, 2012) the Union of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had a meeting to resolve the stand off on the location of the central university. Sources said the two had discussed the issue during their lunch-on meeting to resolve the issue of setting up the varsity in Bihar.

Kapil Sibal - Nitish Kumar, rift continues of Central University Bihar

Both Sibal and Nitish agreed on the idea of having the twin campuses of the proposed university at Motihari and Gaya. However, the rift continues as both disagree on the location of the main campus, while Gaya is Sibal’s choice, Nitish insists for Motihari. Nonetheless, the meeting succeeded in breaking the ice and both Sibal and Kumar have agreed to meet again and talk more. 

Earlier, Sibal had offered to set up a campus in Motihari, with the main campus would be in Gaya. But Nitish reiterated his position that Central University must be set up in Motihari with a campus in Gaya. Nitish said that he could not back down as the state government has made a commitment to set up the university in Motihari. The decision has the backing of the state legislative assembly. The chief minister said the state has already acquired land in Motihari for the university.

Sibal has favoured Gaya as an ideal location for the institution as the place is close to an international airport and is well connected. He has insisted that Gaya as a location will help the varsity get quality faculty and also help it develop as a centre of excellence. HRD ministry maintains that Sibal's push for Gaya as the main centre comes from its recent experience of remote locations of central universities in Tamil Nadu and Odisha. Once established, these universities had trouble attracting faculty and students. While the Tamil Nadu Central University in Thiruvarur had a sanctioned strength of 24 faculty members but had filled only six, while the Central University of Odisha located in Koraput had a sanctioned strength of 48 faculty members but managed to get only 10. In fact, the Ministry has been allocated land by the Defence Ministry there for the varsity, which at present is functioning from a temporary accommodation in Patna.

The opposition of Nitish Kumar to the Centre's plan to situate the university in accessible Gaya has forced Sibal to reconsider the decision. With most Bihar lawmakers supporting Nitish, he has succeeded to project the Centre as seeking to deny the state its rightful share of opportunities. Being at cross purposes with Kumar's JD(U)-BJP government in Bihar is exacting its toll on Sibal's efforts to secure passage for his education legislations in the Rajya Sabha. Without the support of the NDA, Sibal will find it difficult to pass the bills. 

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