Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Congress has objected to the proposal of granting space on the UTD campus of DAVV for the Bhanwarkuan police station and for an overhead water tank. Congress workers led by their state secretary, Tejprakash Rane, on Wednesday, met vice-chancellor Prof. Renu Jain and lodged their protest against the grant of UTD campus land for non-academic purposes.
Rane told Jain that she should strictly say ‘no’ to the district administration, which is seeking land from DAVV for construction of a new building of the Bhanwarkuan police station and an overhead water tank. “Many plots of land owned by the government are lying vacant in the Bhanwarkuan police station area. The station can be shifted there. Also, the overhead water tank can be constructed at the rear of the IT park as that land is also owned by the government,” Rane said. “The demand of the district administration for DAVV land is unjustified when the police station and overhead water tank can be constructed at some other places,” he added.
The Congress workers told university officers not to succumb to pressure from the higher education minister, Mohan Yadav, and water resources minister, Tulsiram Silawat, who had played a role in “convincing” the university to give its space for the police station and the water tank.
For widening two left turns on Bhanwarkuan Square, the district administration has to shift Lord Shiva temple and the police station their existing location to some other place. The closest place near the square is the UTD campus. So, the district administration had approached the university authorities seeking space on its campus.
Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), too, had attached their demand for space for constructing an overhead water tank on the UTD campus. The V-C had agreed to give space for the Lord Shiva temple, but declined land for the police station and the water tank.
Yadav and Silawat had “suggested” that the university officers give land for the police station and water tank too. They had stated that the district administration would give 40 acres of land to DAVV in return. Although the university did not want to accept the offer, it is putting forward the proposal at its executive council meeting for grant of land for the police station and the water tank.
“The decision to grant land to other organisations rests with the executive council; so, we’re putting forward the proposal to it,” the V-C said.
Rane stated that they would seek Raj Bhawan’s intervention in the matter if needed.
