Funds awaited for Central University Himachal Pradesh north campus, residents meet MLA

Dharamsala, July 24

Members of the Central University Sangarsh Samiti, formed by residents of Dharamsala for the north campus of Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), met local BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma today.

After meeting the members of the samiti, Sharma said he would take up the issue of the north campus, to be established in the Jadrangal area of the Dharamsala Assembly constituency, with Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla and Union Education Minister Dharminder Pradhan. The state government had given an undertaking to the Union Ministry for Human Resources about establishing two campuses of the CUHP at Jadrangal (Dharamsala) and Dehra. While the work for the Dehra campus has started, the present Congress-led government has been dragging its feet over the construction of the campus in Jadrangal. The case for the deposition of Rs 30 crore for the transfer of about 56 hectare forested land in Jadrangal in the name of CUHP was sent to the government by the Kangra district administration in July 2023, he added. However, the government has not released the money so far, he said.

CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, during his election campaign for the Dharamsala Assembly byelections, said the government had got the project reassessed and would deposit Rs 15 crore in June, after the elections, for transferring forested land to CUHP.

The authorities of the CUHP have been lobbying to get the government to deposit Rs 30 crore for the transfer of land.

As per the recommendations of the state government, in 2010, when the CUHP was established, two campuses were proposed for the institute.

About 200 hectare forested land in Dehra was transferred in the name of CUHP during the regime of the previous BJP-led government. The work for construction of north campus is yet to start as the state government has not yet deposited the funds for land and compensatory afforestation.