By Md. Mudassir Alam for TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Delhi based natives of Kishanganj in company of people from different parts of Bihar held a meeting with Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor Prof P.K. Abdul Azis in New Delhi on June 25, regarding the proposed off-campus centre in Kishanganj, Bihar and the ground realities after the visit of AMU VC to the district on May 22, 2010.
Since the visit of Prof. P.K. Abdul Azis headed AMU team to Kishanganj people of the district and other parts of the country are in great dilemma over the land transfer issue from the Nitish headed Bihar Government to AMU.
Prof Azis said that the Bihar Government offered 246 acres land for setting up the AMU off-campus centre in Kishanganj. However, the land was offered in three pieces that was rejected AMU Executive Council because of administrative problem. It would be not easier to run the centre smoothly as per the current proposal of Bihar Government because a small population exists there that might be problematic in the future. I don’t wish to put the proposed off-campus centre and its staff including students in any type of trouble by accepting the land, said Prof. Azis.
Further the AMU Vice Chancellor said that he is in continuous touch with DM Kishanganj Feraque Ahmad and Bihar Government regarding the land issue. In fact, DM Kishanganj has suggested a new contiguous piece of land for the proposed off-campus centre mentioned Prof. Azis. If the land will be provided to AMU without any type of hurdle, then we will provide our approval added Prof. Azis. Meanwhile, AMU VC also provided the information about the Mallapuram (Kerala) and Murshidabad (West Bengal) centres where the state governments have already provided the required land to AMU. Prof Azis said that the university is going to start Management and Law courses from Mallapuram and Murshidabad centres from the 2010-11 session.
In the open session the attendants mainly from Kishanganj district actively participated and clarified their queries with AMU VC. The attendants made humble request to Prof. Azis to make the proposal of AMU off-campus centre in Kishanganj a reality. Even some members suggested the AMU VC to accept the new proposal of about 150 acres one piece land from Bihar Government for the time being by putting the condition before the state government to provide rest of the land within a specific deadline. Prof. Azis accepted the suggestion as the university has got the land at Mallapuram in Kerala at the same fashion in instalments. The Vice Chancellor was overwhelmed with the enthusiasm of the attendants and assured his full co-operation for the establishment of AMU off-campus centre in Kishanganj.
Just after the meeting with AMU VC the attendants formed a committee to work for the noble cause. Mr. Khwaja Shahid (President of AMU Old Boys Association, Delhi Unit) was made the president of the meeting and attendants expressed their views on the AMU off-campus centre and also agreed upon drawing a plan for further action. A committee named as AMU Co-ordination Committee Kishanganj Unit was formed that was joined by all the attendants and many others who couldn’t attend the meeting. Mohammed Aslam a resident of Kishanganj was declared the convener of the committee that further met at Jamia Nagar on June 27, 2010.
More than 100 people from Kishanganj and various parts of Bihar attended the meeting and escalate a movement in the name of off-campus centre in Kishanganj. The committee will work at three levels, namely Centre level, State level and District level. In a couple of days a team from Delhi and Patna will visit Kishanganj to participate in an agitation addressed to Bihar Government for quick transfer of land. Most importantly, the protest will be in full democratic manner with posters and banners without any type of disturbance to the locals and administration as well. The committee will submit a memorandum to Nitish Government through DM Kishanganj in the first week of July after a procession across the district headquarters.