The satellite campus buildings of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) in Budgam are awaiting construction since 2013 when the land was granted to the campus.
An official however said the construction work was delayed due to a tussle between some landowners and the MANUU authorities.
“The landowners are demanding that a portion of the land granted to the MANUU be provided to them for road connectivity, but we have already designed the construction model which can’t be changed now,” the official said.
The central public works department (CPWD), the executing agency, has constructed a guardroom at the site. “The work on the boundary walls is lingering for past two years,” the official said.
“Few locals are creating hurdles in the work for their interest,” the official said.
The foundation stone of the campus was laid on 28 May 2013 by the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and former union minister for human resource development, Dr M M Pallam Raju.
“Till date no construction work of the campus has taken place,” he said.
Another official said the funds were not released for two years (2014 and 2015) after foundation stone was laid. “The funds were made available only in 2016, but the construction could not be started due to the five month long summer unrest,” he said.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has already approved Rs 35 crore for the construction of two buildings for the satellite campus. “But the executing agency is facing hurdles in the execution of the work on the boundary walls which has further delayed the construction of the campus,” he said.
He said the tender for construction of boundary wall issued in 2017, “got expired before execution of work as some locals created hurdles and the issue landed in the court”.
“After pursuing the case in the court, another tender was issued in November this year but the locals are again creating obstructions,” an official said, adding that the matter has been put up with the district administration Budgam.
Deputy commissioner Budgam, Sehrish Asgar said the project is lingering for past 10 years due to dispute with some landowners of the area.
“The campus is being constructed on Khah charai (grazing land) and multiple landowners are involved in it and some had got stay on this. I have already convened a meeting with them and will again convince them because we have to take them on board,” Asgar said.
As of now the regional centre of the satellite campus MANUU is functioning from a rented accommodation at Jawahar Nagar while as the art and science college and the college of teacher education are functioning from a separate rented accommodation at Humhama in Budgam.
The satellite campus is offering admission in post graduation courses in Economics, Islamic Studies, English and Urdu for which around 400 students are enrolled with the campus.
The admission in PG courses is exclusively for female students.
Around 7000 students are pursuing courses thorough distance mode with MANUU in English, History, Islamic Studies, Urdu, Arabic and Hindi subjects.