Work begins on CUHP Dehra campus

Lalit Mohan

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Dharamsala, December 1

The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has started the construction of the Dehra campus of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) after a long wait of about 12 years. However, the work for the Dharamsala campus is yet to start for want of some clearances from the Union Ministry for Environment.

Vice-Chancellor Sat Prakash Bansal says that the contract for the construction of CUHP campuses at Dharamsala and Dehra had been allotted. The construction of the Dehra campus has started while the work on the Dharamsala campus will also start soon after getting some clearances from the Union Ministry for Environment, he adds.

The CPWD had invited tenders for the construction of CUHP campuses in May this year. The campuses are expected to cost around Rs 476 crore. The work on both campuses would be completed within 30 months from the date of the allotment of the tender. The CPWD is constructing both campuses.

The CUHP was established in 2010 but its permanent campus could not be built due to politics over its location. The university has got 81 hectares of forestland and 34 hectares of non-forestland for campus construction at Dehra. The other campus would be constructed on 90 hectares at Jadrangal in the Dharamsala Assembly constituency.

As per an MoU, the CPWD will also be responsible for the maintenance of landscape and horticulture projects for one year after the construction of infrastructure. It will also ensure project quality and safety management by establishing quality control procedures and checklists for civil, electrical, mechanical, IT, electronics HVAC works, including equipment, furniture and fixtures.

Time line

• CUHP started functioning from a temporary campus at Shahpur in 2010 with headquarters at Dharamsala
• Initially, the university was to have two campuses at Dehra and Dharamsala
• Previous Congress government had proposed campus at Dharamsala
• A site at Indrunag in Dharamsala proposed for campus was rejected
• The government then proposed a site at Jadrangal