HPU's Ghanahatti campus stuck in limbo; no forest clearance stalls project
Established in 1970, the university — located in Shimla's Summerhill area — has been dealing with infrastructure constraints
The ambitious Ghanahatti campus of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla is stuck in limbo as the university authorities await forest clearance to make the project a reality.
Established in 1970, HPU which is located in the picturesque hills of Summerhill area in Shimla has been dealing with infrastructure constraints for a very long time. Keeping this in mind, a campus expansion was proposed and land was identified in the Ghanahatti area, about 12 km away from the university.
However, the project continues to remain on paper as the project is yet to be greenlit by the Department of Forests. Prof Mahavir Singh, Vice-Chancellor, HPU VC, after taking charge of the post had stated that his focus will be to put the project into reality. He had stated that efforts will be made to expand the university’s campus and it will be ensured that the proposed campus in Ghanahatti and the campus will be established soon.
However, the VC, while acknowledging the fact that the university is having limited space, said that it is agreed that there is a need for bigger space to accommodate all the existing departments as well as to establish new departments. He said that his predecessors had laid the foundation to establish the new campus of the university, but forest clearance continues to remain a major obstacle for achieving this goal.
He said that the main issue is that the land which was identified for the campus lies in forest area, for which the university had sought permission from the Forest Department.
“However, the university is yet to get the permission from the department, due to which further steps cannot be taken. It is hoped that the university may get clearance soon,” he said.
The VC also said that there are plans to establish new departments which meet the educational requirements and standards of the modern era, for which space is necessary.
Meanwhile, students have also expressed their frustration with the limited infrastructure and have stated that due to the university having limited space, several departments are left without their own buildings and have been allotted spaces in other department buildings, due to which students are facing inconveniences. They have also accused the university of solely focusing on the newly established research centres instead of strengthening the existing departments, which they said is against the interests of the students.
