The people of Jagatsinghpur in general and the intelligentsia and old students in particular, are opposing a move by the Jagatsinghpur district administration to snatch away a patch of land lying under the possession of the premier college of the district.
Notably, out of 36 acres of land lying in the campus of SVM College, 10 acres are Government land which had been acquired over last sixty years. As per the decision of the Revenue Department, now the college has to hand over the land for construction of a road to a nearby indoor stadium as well as for construction of quarters for the employees of the Health Department.
Notably, over 6,000 students are now reading in the college and the people of Jagatsinghpur are hopeful of obtaining a deemed rural university status for the college in days ahead. An alumnus and senior advocate Basudev has come down heavily upon the district administration for such a conspiracy against the college, which is named after the greatest patriot saint of India Swami Vivekananda.
Speaking to The Pioneer, president of the college governing body Prof Dr KP Mahapatra described the move as unfortunate and said in the year ‘Azad Ki Amrit Mahotsav’ the taking away of the land is an insult to the memory of Swamiji.
Chairman of the Cashew Corporation, a BJD youth leader Amarendra Das made it clear that such a move by the district administration shall be opposed tooth and nail.
Most of the student leaders of the college spitting fire have threatened to launch a stir if the administration does not refrain from the move. Intellectuals of the district wonder when the Government of Odisha is providing over 100 acres of land for establishment of a second college campus for Ravenshaw College, how come it is reversing its stand on the issue of SVM College.