Finally it’s Cheri ‘merry’ for the Indian Institute of Management – Ranchi and Nagri abode for National University of Study and Research in law (NUSRl) but for Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) - it’s a wait elongated.
These three educational institutes have been hitting headlines since early 2012 when huge public protests at Nagri – where Government claimed to have acquired 227 acre of land for raising permanent campuses for these institutes – were witnessed every time Government tried to draw the boundary line on the “acquired” land.
Finally the intensity of protests forced IIM-R and IIIT to be shifted away from Nagri. NUSRl however is raising its permanent campuses at the same place. After the decisions to shift the two institutions government had the responsibility for selecting sites for these institutes.
For strange reasons though government pursued the site selection issue for IIM-R only - which is currently functioning from Suchna Bhawan. Cheri became third proposed site for IIM after government failed to provide land at Nagri and Raja Ulatu in Namkom. But still IIIT site selection does not seem to be an issue for government.
NN Sinha, Principal Secretary to Governor holding additional charge of Information & Technology Secretary said, “The issue of land acquisition for raising permanent campus of IIIT has been put on back burner.”
JP Tubid, Revenue and land Reform, Principal Secretary said that they had received no request from the concerned department for recommending site for IIIT. “The site selection committee of IIM had approached us and we recommended them the land in Cheri. But as far as IIIT is concerned we have got no request for the land acquisition for it,” he said.
Earlier on June 27 this year AK Sarkar, Development Secretary had, on instruction of the Governor held a meeting of senior officials for discussing feasibility of land acquisition, but for IIM only. “The meeting was not mandated to discuss the land acquisition for IIIT. We did what we were mandated with – discussing the feasibility of land acquisition of the IIM. We had no mandate to discuss the land acquisition for IIIT.”
Director of Higher Education DN Ojha said he had no idea if anybody had taken up the issue of land acquisition for raising permanent campus. “Please discuss it with IT Secretary,” was all he said.
The IT Secretary apart from saying that the site selection for IIIT had been put on back burner said, “land acquisition for IIM is an important issue. We have taken it up first. IIIT will be taken care of later,” he said.
Ranchi DC Vinay Kumar Choubey was only government official who said something positive. “We have identified a piece of land around the area near Cheri where IIM will be coming up. But as of now our priority is IIM. First we will accomplish IIM then pursue for IIIT,” the DC said.