Anurag Thakur raises Central University issue in Parliament; Minister ensures lying of foundation stone soon

Dharamshala, December 31, 2018: BJP’s Chief Whip of Lok Sabha & Member of Parliament from Hamirpur Constituency, Anurag Thakur raised a question during the question hour to Ministry of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar on the timeline as to by when the Central University at Dehra will be established.

Commenting during the question hour, Anurag Thakur said, “Despite all the clearances, NOCs received for 81.79 hectare of land in Dehra, Central University has still not been established. The root cause of the delay has been caused due to negligence of the previous State Congress Government who delayed the process for reasons best known to them. However, now with all the clearances in place, I request the Minister to apprise on the reason for delay.”

In reply to his question, the minister said, “At the time when both the campuses at Dehra and Dharamshala were decided to be established, I was the Environment minister. The permission was duly granted, however, despite the permission being granted, the then Congress State Government didn’t send the NOC that caused this delay. But now with the progress, the CAMPA funds too have been deposited, the project has reached its culmination and soon the foundation stone will be laid.”

In a press note issued here today, Anuraag Thakur has cleared that right from 2009, post announcement of Central University project, efforts were made to ensure the process gets expedited. It was during the tenure of the then BJP Government led by Prof.Prem Kumar Dhumal that a high powered committee of Central Government was constituted for selection of sites for Central University in district Kangra, in 2010. It was on the basis of the recommendation of this high-powered committee that the then Central Government decided to have two complexes, at Dehra and at Dharamshala. This decision was endorsed by another high-powered committee in September 2016. The then BJP Government accordingly moved proposals for clearance of forest land at Dehra and Dharamshala.

Thakur added that the then Congress Government in the State the proposal did not pursue the matter. But given to continuous efforts of Anurag Thakur and multiple round of meetings with concerned authorities on 27 August 2015 post meeting the then Environment and Forest Minister Prakash Javadekar, the in-principal approval for forest clearance of land at Dehra was accorded.