Land allocation ‘delay’ hits plan for Vikram Dev univ expansion | Bhubaneswar News
Koraput: Expansion plans of Vikram Dev University in Koraput district’s Jeypore have hit a roadblock due to land allocation challenges. Vikram Dev Autonomous College, which was upgraded to an affiliated university in Feb 2023, is still awaiting necessary land for its new campus, sources said.
Currently functioning from its old college building, the university faces limited scope for expansion. Authorities said that a team from the higher education department had previously identified a 70-acre site in Rondapalli, around 10 km from Jeypore, for the new campus. However, complications have arisen due to the presence of a valuable teak plantation spanning over 30 acres on the proposed land.
“As valuable teak plantation covers around 30 acres, we are set to receive only 40 acres from that patch. Efforts are underway to locate an additional 30 acres near the site to meet the university’s requirements,” said Maheswar Naik, registrar of the university.
Naik said that the process has begun for transferring 40 acres of land from the revenue department to the university, while efforts continue to secure an additional 30 acres.
Additional tehsildar (Jeypore), Chittaranjan Patnaik, said that the lack of a single large plot is the primary reason behind the delay.
“We are unable to get a huge patch of land in and around Jeypore. Still, four to five patches of land, each measuring around 20 acres, have been identified near Rondapalli area, and a decision on this will be taken soon,” he said.
Activists have urged authorities to expedite the land selection process to ensure the university’s expansion proceeds without further delay.
“The university will strengthen academic activities in Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts. It will greatly benefit students who previously had to rely on Berhampur University. The authorities concerned should finalise land for the university to ensure its early expansion,” said Jeypore academic Prafulla Padhi.
Established on July 1, 1947, Vikram Dev University was named after Vikram Deb Verma, the king of Jeypore, who donated land and buildings for the institute. Currently, the university occupies over 15 acres of land and has a student strength of over 3,000. It offers postgraduate education in around 13 subjects across arts, science and commerce streams.
Currently functioning from its old college building, the university faces limited scope for expansion. Authorities said that a team from the higher education department had previously identified a 70-acre site in Rondapalli, around 10 km from Jeypore, for the new campus. However, complications have arisen due to the presence of a valuable teak plantation spanning over 30 acres on the proposed land.
“As valuable teak plantation covers around 30 acres, we are set to receive only 40 acres from that patch. Efforts are underway to locate an additional 30 acres near the site to meet the university’s requirements,” said Maheswar Naik, registrar of the university.
Naik said that the process has begun for transferring 40 acres of land from the revenue department to the university, while efforts continue to secure an additional 30 acres.
Additional tehsildar (Jeypore), Chittaranjan Patnaik, said that the lack of a single large plot is the primary reason behind the delay.
“We are unable to get a huge patch of land in and around Jeypore. Still, four to five patches of land, each measuring around 20 acres, have been identified near Rondapalli area, and a decision on this will be taken soon,” he said.
Activists have urged authorities to expedite the land selection process to ensure the university’s expansion proceeds without further delay.
“The university will strengthen academic activities in Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts. It will greatly benefit students who previously had to rely on Berhampur University. The authorities concerned should finalise land for the university to ensure its early expansion,” said Jeypore academic Prafulla Padhi.
Established on July 1, 1947, Vikram Dev University was named after Vikram Deb Verma, the king of Jeypore, who donated land and buildings for the institute. Currently, the university occupies over 15 acres of land and has a student strength of over 3,000. It offers postgraduate education in around 13 subjects across arts, science and commerce streams.
