Teachers, students and authorities of Acharya Nagarjuna University are up in arms against the proposals of politicians to set up a Secretariat, Assembly and other key government establishments of residuary State of Andhra Pradesh on the university campus.
Eyeing good infrastructure and vast open spaces on the campus, politicians are pressing for setting up important administrative offices there. It is reported that a few politicians have already made representations to the central government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
But the move has not gone down well with the university students, teachers and authorities. Though higher authorities have sought details pertaining to land availability and buildings, it is not possible to shift a university or utilise it for administration purposes. Academically it will affect students adversely, says ANU Registrar Raja Sekhar Patteti.
‘Historic blunder’“In the past, when new States were formed no university was taken over or transformed into an administrative set up. It will be a historic blunder if ANU campus is utilised for establishing the Secretariat or Assembly,” says Mr. Patteti.
During the last five years, ANU authorities have spent nearly Rs.60 crore for constructing new structures, including administrative buildings, distance education building, engineering and pharmacy colleges etc.
And quite a few are in the offing, and at this stage it would not be wise to utilise the campus for administrative purposes, says ANU Parirakshana Samithi steering committee member Y.V. Reddy.
“In the worst scenario, we are prepared to approach the court,” says Mr. Reddy.
ANU is geographically well located catering to students from both urban and rural sectors.
There are over 3,000 students and 60 per cent hail from rural background. “If it is shifted elsewhere, students will be put to a lot of inconvenience,” says B. Venkateshwarlu, a research scholar.
