Commissioner for Indian Medicine Mohan Pyare and Collector M. Karunakaran inspected Government Siddha Medical College in Palayamkottai on Tuesday even as the government is in a mood to shift it to spacious and accessible premises to a bid to upgrade it as a university.
Though State government is keen on establishing a separate university for Siddha medicine in a place close to the Western Ghats, which is known for its herbal wealth, the delay in identifying the right place has slowed down the process.
Meanwhile, a postgraduate student from the 50-year-old Siddha medical college approached the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court for getting a direction to the State to shift the college, now functioning from cramped campus, to new spacious and accessible premises. He also sought a direction to the government for an early establishment of separate university for Siddha medicine.
The British established College for Indian Medicine at Kilpauk in Chennai in 1924, particularly to promote Siddha medicine system. It was decided in 1964 to shift the college to Courtallam in the foothills of the Western Ghats.
Since there was no adequate infrastructure in Courtallam, a building in Palayamkottai was identified for conducting classes temporarily. Unfortunately, the four-acre temporary premises became ‘permanent campus’ as the college was allowed to function from this place for the past 50 years.
Over 980 students are studying in the college. The students have repeatedly appealed to authorities for a sprawling premises equipped with separate inpatient and outpatient blocks, paediatric ward, herbal garden, separate block for preparing herbal medicines, men’s and women’s hostels, adequate drinking water facility, etc.
When the government decided to construct one more block on the campus by removing the small herbal garden, the student moved the court and obtained the stay, while seeking a direction for shifting it to sprawling premises. However, due to lack of initiative from successive heads of this college, no positive step has been taken.
Now, the government has apparently decided to shift the college to new premises while upgrading it into a university.
“We’ve inspected the facilities here and will submit a report to the government,” said the Collector after inspecting the college and interacting with college authorities.
Meanwhile, the students have appealed to the district administration to acquire the 167-acre unused land adjacent to Fatima Dargah on Palayamkottai– Seevalaperi Road, now under Manonmaniam Sundaranar University’s custody.
Though this land was initially identified for establishing the MSU, the university came up on a land acquired from the Department of Animal Husbandry at Abhishekapatti.
