After CM approval, Dhaliwal, DC visit proposed college site in Ajnala village

With Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann giving the nod to the project of setting up a degree college in Ajnala’s Bakraur village, Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal along with Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney and other administrative officials visited a site here on Friday.

Bakraur is a quaint village, just three kilometre from the India-Pakistan International Border. Dhaliwal held a meeting with panchayat members and villagers, who announced to provide panchayat land for building the college in the village.

Dhaliwal said a degree college was one of the most important requirements in the area. “The village falls in border belt, mostly inhabited by Rai Sikh community and they have been demanding the opening of a college in the area so that their wards can get easy access to higher education. We had proposed to set up a college here during the 2022 assembly elections when AAP leader Manish Sisodia had visited this belt and announced that a college would be set up here,” shared Dhaliwal.

Dhaliwal said in the initial phase, they will be looking to acquire 15 acres of land for the building. The college will have a stadium, libraries and laboratories and it will offer multi-disciplinary undergraduate and post-graduate courses.

There is only one single government college in Ajnala, which has been facing problems like staff shortage, poor infrastructure, and poor student enrolment. The second best option for students of the border belt in Ajnala has been to travel to Amritsar, which is roughly 40 km from Amritsar. The proposed new college would be more accessible, said Dhaliwal.

“The Government College in Ajnala was built without considering the distance from border villages. It has no direct connecting road and students have to face difficulties in commuting as there is no direct bus or public transport connecting the college with that of distant villages,” explained Dhaliwal.

People of several villages in Ajnala have been raising the demand for more higher education institutes and skill centres for the youth of the area. The budget for the college is yet to be finalized.

Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said after recce and interaction with villagers, the proposal will be sent to the government for approval.