Updated on: Friday, February 05, 2010
New Delhi: After Parliament amended an Act paving the way for creation of two central universities in Jammu and Kashmir, the process of setting up of the institutions has gathered momentum.
A site selection committee from HRD Ministry visited six locations in both Jammu and Kashmir regions last week. It has asked the state government to provide the locational maps of the sites for finalisation, official sources said.
The team visited three sites Tumulla, Saloora and Rakhe Kujar in Kashmir region for Central University of Kashmir while it visited Samba, Chakrohi and Nandni in Jammu region for possible locations for Central University of Jammu.
All these sites, excepting Nandni, are near to the airports. There is adequate land available at these sites. Besides, these locations are relatively urban areas and fit for hosting universities, sources said.
Parliament has passed the Central University (Amendment) Act, 2009, during the last session paving the way for establishment of two central universities -- one in Kashmir and one in Jammu. Earlier, the Central University Act, which provided for 15 central universities across the country, had provision for just one university for the state.
Meanwhile, the Central University of Kashmir is set to start courses like Master Degree in Management, English and IT. Besides, it will also start Ph.D programmes in these subjects.