By Abdul Basith MA, TwoCircles.net,
Perinthalmanna: The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development is yet to sanction the Rs 140-Crore projects intended at further developmental activities in the Malappuram centre of Aligarh Muslim University. It has been a few months since the budget estimation and project designs were carried out and the funds need to get sanctioned by the Expenditure Finance Committee [EFC] under the HRD ministry. It is only after this the project could be submitted for the UGC accreditation, and UGC will then grant the funds for the project in subsequent steps.
When contacted by the Malappuram centre, EFC informed that it has sanctioned the project and that it has sent it for UGC approval. But no exact details regarding its further development have been availed on further enquiries, says sources at AMU Malappuram centre.
They say that there has been a negligent approach from the govt and media after their initial coverage of inauguration and dedication in both the Malappuram and Murshidabad centres. “How much development has been made after the centre’s inauguration a year ago and its dedication to the nation in last December is worth examining,” says a faculty.
The case of Malappuram centre is not different from Murshidabad centre. Media has been neglecting several factors like the local protests against the construction works at Murshidabad centre and no proper steps have been taken by the govt to create awareness among the people regarding the benefits. Though the land has been allocated and the centre has been dedicated to the nation, the construction works are having a worst run.
The project is intended to be carried out under the 12th five year plan and the project design was carried out by accredited consultancy named Educational Consultants India Limited [EdCIL]. Women’s Arts and Science College and Women’s Polytechnic were the first two priorities under the Project and the initial project design by EdCIL was at around 1100 crore rupees, later they recognised that such a big budget project won’t be able to win the central allocation and so they cut short the project design to 140 crores, as it is believed that the concerned ministry could allocate funds below 300 crores.
Until now the Central Govt. has allocated only 75 crore rupees under two budgets. But only 20 crore rupees has been sanctioned until now. In the last budget, as these projects were under the consideration of the HRD ministry, no separate funds were allocated for the Malappuram and Murshidabad centres.
The construction work of the temporary buildings in the Malappuram centre estimated at around Rs 13.5 crore is in its last stage but the works of the permanent buildings are yet to start.
The teachers appointed in the off campus will have their posts recognised only after the 140 crore project is sanctioned by the central government. The unexpected delay has resulted in the drop out of teachers from the AMU centre. The campus had ten teachers including its director and recently one among those teachers left the campus to join the central university at Kasargod. AMU Malappuram centre comes under the constituency of E Ahmed, minister of state, HRD. It was on 24 December 2011, the Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal dedicated AMU off campus to the nation and assured the Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy that the Union govt would take care to meet all the funding needs of the AMU centre.