18 months on, land not yet transferred for Dharamsala campus of central varsity

The project for setting up a campus of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) in the Jadrangal area of the Dharamsala Assembly constituency has been hanging fire for the past 18 months though the Union Government has given all clearances for it. The state government has not deposited Rs 30 crore for the transfer of forestland in the name of the CUHP due to which the project has failed to take off. The file for depositing the said amount was sent to the state government in July 2023.

Kangra MP Rajiv Bhardwaj said that the Union Government had earmarked Rs 250 crore for the establishment of the campus of the CUHP but the state government had withheld the money. “The CUHP campus will be a premium institution of higher learning for the students of Kangra and Chamba districts,” he claimed.

Bhardwaj said that he would meet Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and request him to release the amount required for the transfer of land in the CUHP’s name. “I have already raised the issue in Parliament and if needed, will take it up with the Union Government,” he added.

The CUHP authorities have been engaged in hectic lobbying with the govt for Rs 30 crore, which is required for land transfer at Jadrangal. As per the government recommendation, two campuses were proposed for the institution in 2010. While one campus was to be established in the Dehra area of Kangra district, the other campus was proposed in the Dharamsala area. About 200 hectares forestland in Dehra was transferred in the name of the CUHP during the previous BJP government.

Depts to be shifted to Dehra campus

• The work on the university campus at Dehra has started
• The university administration plans to shift some departments to the Dehra campus in the next academic session
• At present, the CUHP is functioning from three places — Government College, Shahpur; B.Ed College, Dharamsala; and some rented buildings at Dehra in Kangra district