Madhya Pradesh: Alumni Assn To Knock On The Doors Of Court To Challenge Collector’s Order

Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Alleging involvement of ‘politics’ in acquiring the land of Government Ujjain Engineering College (UEC) to construct buildings of Government Medical College, the UEC alumni association has served an ultimatum to carry the issue before the High Court.

Addressing a joint press conference on Tuesday, the alumni association chief Komal Bhudta and other office-bearers BC Trivedi, Aditya Narayan Vyas, Rajesh Chourishi and Milind Ingole said that the UEC presently has 14.658 hectares of vacant land and if 9.601-hectare land is transferred for the construction of medical college then there would be no land for UEC for its extension and modernisation. The UEC was established in the year 1966 and about 1,500 students have been studying in graduate and post-graduate classes. 

According to the alumni association functionaries, there was a proposal to open B Tech in information technology, artificial intelligence, agricultural engineering and aeronautical engineering. New buildings and laboratories will be needed for which there would be a need for open land. Likewise, administrative and technical sanction for the construction of a new building for the incubation centre was already given which also requires land. A foundation laying ceremony for the construction of the regional centre of RGPVV was also held. 

They said that a proposal of upgrading UEC to a deemed university at the cost of Rs 320 crore was also pending before the director, technical education which also requires complete premises. They informed that the government had purchased land from farmers and gave it to UEC for conducting educational activities, but lands were acquired for the construction of Kendriya Vidyalaya and MP Dalit Sahitya Academy. Huge plantations, and housing complexes for Class-IV employees are also located on the UEC land. 

The UEC principal and alumni association had submitted an objection over the transfer of land before the nazool officer and SDO, revenue, Kothi Mahal, but the land was transferred for the construction of a medical college without making any hearing on the issue. Moreover, the technical education department, Bhopal also did not give a ‘no objection certificate’ on transferring UEC land yet the order was passed by the district collector. “This order is arbitrary and political,” they told reporters.

The alumni association members, most of whom have been retired from key posts in different government departments, made it clear that they were not opposing the establishment of medical college in Ujjain. However, they wanted UEC land to remain intact so that there should be availability of sufficient land for technical advancement. They also suggested that the administration should acquire the land located in front of the district hospital, on closed Heera Mills, on wounded-up ginning factories or in the Kanipura area.