CM Virbhadra Singh inspected fresh Central university site near Dharamsala

Dharamsala, April 16, 2015: Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Thursday, inspected the proposed site for the Central University in Jadraangal near Dharamsala, and the Bharatiya Janata Party once again started accusing Congress to be responsible for the delay in setting up the new campus. In fact BJP is of the view that Virbhadra lead government in the state is basically anti-lower areas (parts merged with Himachal in 1966) and working in way of these delay tactics that Central University should not come up either in Dehra or in Dharamsala. Speaking on this BJP MP of Hamirpur and National President BJYM Anurag Thakur said in Dharamsala today, “Virbhadra after assuming CM office in 2012 wrote a letter to Jayanti Natrajan the then UPA minister,   to clear Central University 70% in Dehra and 30% in Dharamsala and UPA government gave green signal for Dehra (area under Hamirpur constituency). But now CM Himachal is misleading the Kangra people by inspecting new sites and by saying that major portion of CU shall be set up in Dharamsala.” 

Anurag said that Virbhadra Singh’s non development plans for said areas is very much cleared as he even changed the proposed land for setting up of IIIT and Technical University from Hamirpur and Hydro Engineering College from Bilaspur. Anurag said, “Virbhadra will never allow CU for Dharamsala or Dehra.”

At the time when the university was sanctioned by the central government, the  than state BJP government decided to split the university into two campuses - one at Dharamsala and the other at Dehra, which is a part of the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency. The campus at Dharamsala to be known as the Dhauladhar campus, while the other in Dehra as the Beas campus. Former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal's decision to split the university had evoked sharp criticism by the Congress.

However, the Congress on returning to power ordered a fresh survey of the Dharamsala campus and 120 acres additional land were found to already allotted 62.52 acres of land at Indrunag near Dharamsala, to allow 70% of the academic infrastructure here. However, for the Beas and Dhauladhar campuses, forest clearances are still awaited.

HRD Minister Smriti Irani during her earlier this visit to Baijnath (Kangra) have reacted on the issue by saying, “Politics should not be played on education as it decides the future of our children.”  She said that the chief minister of HP should take an initiative to resolve the issue.

"I am hopeful that the chief minister will draw consensus on the issue and a fresh proposal will be sent to the Centre so that work on CUHP campus can be started," added the union minister.

At present a transit campus of the University is working at Shahpur near Dharamsala and the VC’s office of CU HP is temporarily was set up in the writers home in Dharamsala.