Cluster University project gathers dust

Mahesh Chander Sharma

SUNDERNAGAR, March 28

The Rs 55-crore prestigious project of Cluster University under RUSA is gathering dust due to apathy of the state government.

Interestingly, the project is first among the eight cluster universities which have been approved out of 35 proposals for universities received by the Ministry of Human and Resource Development from various states.

From Himachal Pradesh alone, three proposals from Mandi, Shimla and Dharamsala were forwarded, but the proposal for Mandi was approved. Government Degree College, Mandi, was the lead college. Three more colleges at Sundernagar, Drung and Basa of Mandi district were taken as constituent colleges.

The Centre agreed to give 90 per cent cost of the project and 10 per cent is to be contributed by the state government. After it approved the project, the Central Government released the first installment of Rs 24.3 crore in October 2016. As per norms of the Ministry for Human Resources and Development, it has to be utilised within 11 months. The rest of the amount will be released after the utilisation certificate was submitted to the ministry.

Despite the release of funds by the Central Government, the state government has yet to release its share, i.e. Rs 2.5 crore, for the execution of the project.

According to Rakesh Kapoor, a retired principal of Government College, the detailed project report was revised thrice under the direction of the Technical Study Group of the MHRD. Talking to The Tribune, he said this project was a result of three years of hard work by experts of the Education Department. The nature of courses to be started in this university in the lead college as well as in its constituent colleges, were to be under different inter-disciplinary schools and industry-friendly. In the past, he wrote various letters to many leaders but did not receive any response.

Ram Swaroop Sharma, MP, Mandi, said the Central government had accorded sanction to the project on priority but the state government was not depositing its share of 2.5 crores. He charged that the ministers of Mandi district were not making sincere efforts for the early execution of the project the institutes of which will be situated in four Assembly segments. Out of the four, two Assembly segments (Mandi and Drung) are represented by Anil Sharma and Kaul Singh (both ministers), while Sundernagar is represented by Sohan Lal Thakur (CPS).

Kaul Singh Thakur, Minister for Health and Family welfare, Law and Revenue, said the government was giving top priority to the project and the pending formalities will be completed soon so that prestigious project can be started.