Four years on, centrally sponsored Engineering College san permanent campus

5 Dariya News

Srinagar 23-Oct-2019

Reflecting the non-seriousness of the higher education department,  an engineering college sanctioned under a centrally-sponsored scheme- RUSA for Kashmir is yet to have a permanent campus despite the passage of over four years when it was started in Valley. The college continues to function from a makeshift arrangement in four rooms of a Degree College.An official told KNO that the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in 2015 cleared the two colleges under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhyian (RUSA), an ambitious GoI program in higher education. While the engineering college in Kashmir is being set-up at Safapora on Ganderbal-Bandipora border, the other one will come up in Kathua, Jammu.In Kashmir, the college has been operating from a few rooms of the Government Degree College Sumbal for the past more than three years.A college official told KNO that they have given few rooms to the management of the engineering college to run their academic and other activities.“It becomes very difficult for us to accommodate our own students and the students of the engineering college. We have to arrange practical classes for engineering and under graduate students in different shifts,” a college official told KNO.He however said the classwork in both the institutions has been halted since August 04 due to prevailing uncertainty in Valley.Meanwhile an official dealing with planning section of higher education department told KNO that for first year, the higher education department had authorised the Kashmir University to start classes for this academic session."The KU authorities had hired the faculty for the college a temporary basis.

 But now the college is run by higher education department and we have appointed its Principal and other faculty as well,” the official said.He said the state cabinet has already given the sanction for the creation of post in this college.The decision to start courses at the engineering college was taken at a time when around 20 existing government degree colleges are functioning from makeshift campuses.The project cost of the college is Rs 26 crore out of which only Rs 19 core has been released by government of India."The construction work in being executed by J&K projects construction corporation (JKPCC)," the official told KNO.As per official documents around 70 to 80 percent construction is completed on the college building."Two academic blocks are near completion and the department has asked the executing agency to construct a hostel building after which the college may be shifted to its permanent campus,” the official said.The official said department had fixed the deadline to shift the college to its permanent campus in mid of the current year. But the delay in completion of pending work played spoilsport."The work on the building has been stopped and decision about making the campus functional in its permanent campus will be taken only after work resumes," the official told KNO.As per the project, the college will have five to six building and to begin with the department will use the two academic blocks and the hostel building to start the courses from its permanent campus.Meanwhile, Secretary Higher Education Department, Talat Parvez Ruhella when contacted told KNO that he will take up the matter with executing agency and get the status about completion of work."We will try to expedite the work on the college building," he said. (KNO)