West Bengal to expedite the process of land transfer for AMU Campus

AMU VC Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Murshidabad MP Mr. Moinul Islam

ALIGARH April 13: The Chief Minister of West Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has constituted two special team to expedite the process of land transfer to the Aligarh Muslim University for establishing its Special Centre at Murshidabad.

The team comprising Mr. Moinul Hasan, MP of Murshidabad, West Bengal State Commissioner at New Delhi and Union Finance Minister’s private secretary Mr. Manoj were given a mandate to coordinate all the issues relating to the transfer of land from Ministry of Water Works to MHRD and finally to AMU. The Chief Minister has also decided to appoint the Jungipura BDO as the nodal officer to sort out the problems at ground level and to find out suitable temporary premises for holding classes, space for hostels, one for boys and another for girls and staff quarters for faculty and other staff in nearby vicinity including health centre. Mr. Bhattacharjee has stressed the need for providing best and qualitative accommodation so that the students admitted in Murshidabad centre also feel that they are part of the legendary AMU.

Addressing the Press Conference soon after the meeting Mr. Moinul Hasan, Member of Parliament from Murshidabad said that the people of the district are jubilant over the coming of AMU Special Centre and felt the Centre and State Government are serious and willingly extending a warm welcome to AMU. The keen interest of Union Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and his timely help is translating into reality the dream to have the AMU Centre in West Bengal.

While talking to the press, Vice Chancellor Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis said that the meeting with the Chief Minister was most fruitful. The decisions taken by the Chief Minister today will put on fast track the process of land transfer to AMU and put in place a temporary system at Jungipura for starting the centre in July-August this year.

While thanking the Chief Minister Prof. Azis urged the State government to construct a 30 meter wide road from the national/state highway to the campus site alongwith power and water for the centre. The Chief Minister has agreed to provide these basic facilities and promised all help for the special centre.

Prof. Azis made it clear that the beginning would be only symbolic with offering of Law and Management courses and the University will submit a DPR for starting medical school, engineering school and all the other steams existing in the University to the MHRD.

He said that a committee of distinguished AMU alumni has been constituted to suggest the courses that merits global attention and to explore the avenues for linking up with AMU special centres coming up across the nation. “The most positive response of the West Bengal Chief Minister in every stage will bound to help the centre to become functional in the next academic session”, he said.

Earlier, speaking at an interactive session with leading academicians of West Bengal and Murshidabad including seven Vice Chancellors and prominent industrialists and citizens of Murshidabad Prof. Azis said that, “We will symbolically start the campus from July-August and move to it when it is ready”.

“We will start with the School of Law and School of Management and also B.Ed. courses from the next academic session. There will be no quota and admission will be based on a written entrance examination that will be held across the country”, he said. The AMU is conceiving an ambitious state-of-the- art Campus at Murshidabad and looking forward for the generous philanthropy and meaningful contributions from the citizens and industrialists. A corpus of Rs. 1000 Crore is needed for an institution that truly represents the finest global academic standards as reflected in the glorious genesis of the grand AMU edifice.

Addressing a meeting organized by the Old Boys’ Association, Kolkata at the Hotel Golden Park, Prof. Azis said that AMU is in constant touch with the West Bengal government and the proposed land at Murshidabad will be handed over to AMU within a week or so. Prof. Azis urged the people to form an association to fetch maximum support from well wishers and AMU alumni to help develop the Murshidabad centre as a state-of-the- art centre of academic excellence.

Prof. N. A. K. Durrani, Media Advisor and Secretary of the Kolkata Old Boys’ Association Mr. Wiqar Ahmad Khan were also present in the meetings.