New Delhi: A
group of academicians, political leaders, journalists, activists
and students have come together to push up the Bihar Government
and the administration of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh,
Uttar Pradesh, for immediate inception of the AMU centre in
Kishanganj, Bihar. They have come under the banner of ‘AMU Centre
Co-ordination Committee’ asking the Bihar Government to
immediately allocate the required land. The committee is going to
organise a National Conference for AMU Centre Kishanganj (Bihar)
on September 30 at India Islamic Culture Centre, Lodhi Road, New
Delhi from 5 PM to 8 PM.
AMU VC PK Abdul Azis, Janata Dal United (JD-U) leader Sharad Yadav,
Rashtriya Janata Party supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, Lok Jan Shakti
Party chief Ramvilas Paswan, Kishanganj MP Asrarul Haque and
others are expected to address the conference.
Kishanganj was identified as one of the five centres for the AMU
campus centre after the Sachchar Committee recommended setting up
of more institutions focused on the educational needs of Muslims
in the minority dominated areas. The proposed special centre of
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Kishanganj district of Bihar is
delaying for past two and half due to all wrong reasons. The
establishment of AMU Centre in Kishanganj, Bihar is on hold
because of inability of Nitish led Bihar Government to provide
required 250 acres contiguous land to AMU administration free of
cost. In fact, the Bihar Government had offered 243 acres of land
in three parts on lease basis for 30 years to the Vice Chancellor
of AMU in May 2010. However, following his visit on 22 May, 2010
to the proposed land the VC of AMU Prof P K Abdul Azis refused to
accept the land because of 3 pieces, illegal encroachment by
tribals, narrow access road (less than 30 feet) and 30 years lease
term.
Since then, the Bihar Government failed to provide the required
250 acres land to AMU VC for more than one year. On July 11, 2011,
once again, the AMU VC with his team visited Kishanganj to see
three new proposed sites at Dhanpura, Tarabari and Dighalbank.
However, the VC ended up the trip by visiting the land of Afzal
Hussain, a local resident of Kishanganj who has offered 250 acres
land free of cost. The DM of Kishanganj accompanied the AMU team
and found the land of Afzal Hussain suitable for the mega campus
offering school and college education to all. In response, the
Government of Bihar denied to accept the land of Afzal Hussain in
a meeting hold in Patna on September 20, 2011, and it is rigid on
the earlier offered 243 acres land near Chakla Village in
Kishanganj.
Now, the proposal of AMU centre in Kishanganj, Bihar is badly
trapped in politics and blame games. The present Vice Chancellor
of AMU, who was a key person to conceive the idea of opening
special centres across the country, is going to retire in January
2012. After his retirement, no one is sure whether the next VC of
AMU will take ahead the proposals of special centre in Kishanganj
or not. On the whole, the matter of AMU special centre in
Kishanganj is not moving forward due to careless attitude of Bihar
Government. Whatever is the reason behind this delay, the worst
sufferer in this political interference are the people of Bihar
especially Seemanchal region and educationally backward district
of Kishanganj.
Need of the hour is that the Bihar Government should come forward
and resolve the land issue on immediate basis. If the government
is not ready to accept the land of Afzal Hussain, there is an
alternative for the government as well. The former DM of
Kishanganj Feraque Ahmad had prepared a proposal of two piece of
land that was unofficially liked by AMU VC. The only problem was
50 to 60 inhabited families belonging to BPL category. However,
the former DM had the plan to provide the alternate land to those
families on the earlier proposed 243 acres land to make the two
piece land contiguous. Feraque Ahmad was transferred on July 4,
2010, and the proposal never got any shape later on. If the Bihar
government offers the proposal made by Feraque Ahmad, the AMU VC
is still ready to accept the land along the Mahananda River in
Kishanganj. Bihar Government is gaining worldwide popularity for
its good governance under the leadership of “Vikas Purush” Nitish
Kumar. The committee has full hope over Nitish Kumar and it expect
that the required land will be provided on fast track basis to AMU
administration.
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