Bhubaneswar: In the wake of the students’ unrest in Vani Vihar campus of Utkal University over the decision of the Odisha government to set up a second campus of Rama Devi Women’s University, the Vice-Chancellor on Monday made it clear that there is no enough land in the University for the new campus.
“There is no enough land for second campus of the Rama Devi Women’s University due to limited land in Vani Vihar. Even the university has not enough land as a number of construction works inside the university premises will be taken up very soon. We will apprise the Higher Education Minister of these issues at a meeting tomorrow,” Utkal University Vice Chancellor Dr Soumendra Mohan Patnaik told media persons here.
“It is not possible to hand over 30 acres of land for the second campus of Rama Devi University as new departments will open in Vani Vihar in the coming academic session for which sufficient land is required. Besides, we need an auditorium, a cricket ground in our campus. Considering the above, the state government should refrain from its decision to set up the second campus of Rama Devi Women’s University,” Soumendra Patnaik, a student of Utkal University, said.
Protesting the decision of the state government, hundreds of students of Utkal University, supported by the University staff and teachers, had staged a road blockade on National Highway-5 near Vani Vihar Square on February 1.
