After the identification of land, followed by several inspections, 57 hectares of forest land at Jadrangal were cleared by the Union environment ministry for the campus last June, for which the state government had to deposit ₹30 crore as compensatory afforestation (CA). The matter is pending with the state government since it was put up to it in July 2023. Only 24 hectares of non-forest land at Jadrangal has been transferred in the university’s name.

The Centre sanctioned ₹512 crore for building the CUHP campus. In recent weeks, protests have been held in Dharamshala, demanding the state government deposit the required amount so that construction of the campus starts at Jadrangal.

Parties blame each other

The construction of the campus became a political issue before the 2022 assembly elections.

In 2019, then Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar had laid the foundation stone of the campus at Dehra. With the Lok Sabha elections coming up, the issue turned into a political debate in Kangra.

Both the BJP and ruling Congress have been targeting each other for the delay in developing the campus.

Sanjay Sharma, the state BJP spokesperson, said the issue had been mishandled by the previous Congress government from 2012-17, resulting in the delay in selecting a suitable land for the campus during that period. “It was during the tenure of the BJP government, led by Jairam Thakur, that the land was finally identified and the documentation was forwarded to the Centre for clearances. Despite a two-year delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic, clearances were eventually granted by the central government in 2022,” he said.

File pending with state govt

He said despite all permissions given to the state’s Congress government last year, no action was taken. “The file concerning the transfer of ₹30 crore for the acquisition of forest land in the university’s name at Jadrangal has been pending with the state government since last year,” Sharma said, adding chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has been offering excuses instead of promptly depositing the amount to construct the campus.

Puneet Malhi, the secretary-cum-media coordinator of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, said that the BJP had been in power in the state for five years before the Congress was elected in 2022. He asked why despite the BJP’s “double-engine government”, did the state fail to construct the CUHP campus. “BJP leaders lack substantive criticism against the Congress government, hence they are unnecessarily raising this issue as elections draw near,” Malhi said.

He said that the Congress government is committed to completing the CUHP campus project and that ₹30 crore would be deposited for the transfer of forest land at Jadrangal to facilitate the construction process.

Own campus will enhance capabilities: V-C

CUHP vice-chancellor Sat Prakash Bansal said there should be no politics in the matters of education. “I have addressed this issue at every level and conducted meetings regarding the land transfer. We have combined the construction of both campuses into one project. Construction at the Dehra campus has commenced following all necessary clearances, and we are optimistic that it will be completed by the end of 2024,” he said.

“We anticipate that construction at Jadrangal will commence soon. Despite challenges, CUHP has been performing well. We achieved an NAAC A+ grade last year, and having our own campus will enhance our capabilities,” he said.

The state education department official concerned was unavailable for comment.

Brief history

*Central University of Himachal Pradesh became functional with the assumption of charge by the first vice-chancellor on January 20, 2010. However, the project was mired in politics, causing a delay in setting up its campus. The then BJP government proposed two campuses for CUHP with a major portion at Dehra. About 66 hectares was given for the campus at Dharamshala and 300 hectares in Dehra.

*In 2012, the Congress government was thrown out of power and the proposal identifying 380 acres of additional land at Indrunag near Dharamshala for the institution was reversed. The Union ministry rejected the site as it found the land unfit for construction due to its location in the active sliding zone, forcing the government to repeat the exercise to find suitable land.

* New land was identified at Jadrangal, 15km from Dharamshala, and the fresh proposal was sent to the Centre. However, the BJP was voted to power in 2017 and the Centre’s master plan of two campuses – one at Dehra and another at Jadrangal – was allowed. The foundation stone of the CUHP was laid at Dehra in 2019, while the land at Jadrangal is still to be given to the university as the state government is yet to deposit ₹30 crore.