Merger of Hry farm varsity with MHU put off

Govt releases Rs 486 crore for Mahrana Pratap university

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, January 19

The proposal to merge the horticulture department of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University (HAU) with the newly set up Maharana Pratap Horticulture University (MHU) in Karnal has been turned down after a discussion as the state government has decided to develop the MHU and released funds to the tune of Rs 486 crore.

The Vice-Chancellor of the MHU, Dr Samar Singh, who is also got the charge of the HAU informed there would be no bifurcation and merger of the departments or the institutes associated with the HAU with that of the MHU. The state government has allocated funds and the construction of the campus of the MHU in Karnal will begin soon. Besides, four stations of the MHU will also be developed.

Earlier, the MHU issued a letter on January 1 to the HAU about setting up of a six-member committee to consider the common issues of the HAU and MHU. The letter mentioned that the proposed committee would discuss the merger of departments of horticulture and vegetable sciences along with manpower and infrastructure and other available facilities with the MHU. The letter also mentioned about the proposal to discuss merging of Krishi Gyan Kendras and Krishi Vigyan Kendras located in Ambala, Karnal, Panchkula, Kurukshetra,Yamunnagar, Kaithal, Panipat and Sonepat, which are at present affiliated to the HAU with the MHU.

The letter proposed the names of committee members, including representatives of the University Grant Commission, Indian Council for Agriculture Research, director generals of the Haryana Agriculture and Horticulture Departments besides the registrars and directors of research of the HAU and MHU.

The letter mentioned that the committee would define the modalities and guidelines regarding the merger of the above institutions of the HAU with the newly established MHU (established vide Haryana Act 32 of 2016). Sources said this proposal was turned down by the state government.

However, Samar Singh maintained that this proposal was not under consideration now as the state government had decided to develop the MHU on its own and no departments/institutes affiliated with the HAU would be merged with the MHU.

At present, the MHU offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses. While PG courses are being pursued on the HAU campus, the undergraduate programme is going on on the Karnal campus. “The boundary wall of 118 acres is complete while setting up of four stations affiliated to the MHU are under construction in Sonepat, Jhajjar, Jind and Ambala. The construction of the main block will start in Karnal by February and hopefully the PG courses will also shift to the MHU by next year,” said the Registrar of the MHU, Dr Ajay Singh Yadav.