BIT-Patna sends eviction notice to Bihar University

Updated on: Tuesday, October 04, 2011

The Central University of Bihar (CUB), established by an Act of Parliament in 2009, has been functioning from the rented accommodation at BIT-Mesra ever since its establishment as the State government has refused to allot land to it except at Motihari — a site chosen by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar but rejected by the selection committee of the Human Resource Development Ministry for poor social infrastructure and connectivity.

However, even as the issue was still being sorted out, the University received a shocker from the Registrar of the BIT-Mesra asking it to vacate the part of the premises being occupied by it by September 30. “Though no action has been taken so far but we have a sword hanging over our head. There is uncertainty among the students. We need to take it up on a priority,” Janak Pandey, Vice Chancellor of the CUB told The Hindu from Patna.

Sources in the Human Resource Development Ministry feel that the BIT-Patna was being “pressurized” by Nitish Kumar-led State government to make it difficult for the University to continue. The Ministry has already made it clear that if Bihar does not resolve the contentious issue of land allocation, the Centre may have to allow the university to buy private land for its campus — an option the Ministry wants to avoid. It is also examining whether a part of the IIT-Patna campus could be diverted for the varsity but no concrete measures have been taken in this respect that has further deepened the sense of insecurity among the students.

The Registrar of the University received the eviction notice on August 18 following which Prof Pandey immediately wrote back to the State authorities reminding them about the agreement over use of space between the two institutions for which the State had granted no objection certificates. The then Vice Chancellor Emeritus, BIT-Mesra and the Vice –Chancellor, CUB had signed an agreement on June 27, 2009 for a space on rent for the University at the BIT campus for two years. As per the agreement, CUB had to pay immediately an advance of Rs. 15 lakh for getting access to the portion of the building already completed and to be used by the University.

The State government had granted a no objection certificate to BIT to make available 10,000 square feet to CUB in July 2009 for which the University paid Rs. 62 lakh as rent in advance for two years.

In 2010, both the institutions mutually came to an understanding for academic collaboration for which additional space was given by BIT. The Birla Institute of Technology had earlier also sent three eviction letters asking the CUB Registrar to vacate two halls by April and the rest of the space by September 2011 but changed its mind subsequently and finalised the space sharing agreement.

BIT-Patna sends eviction notice to Bihar University

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