The Government should take care not to repeat the mistake committed in the case of Hyderabad by focusing on development of the State capital at the cost of other regions, academics said at a round table here.
The North Andhra region had been ignored and no development had taken place here despite this being the seat of learning and a major industrial centre, Andhra University Vice-Chancellor G S N Raju said, speaking at a round table on issues in development of North Andhra region post bifurcation. The event was organised by Uttarandhra Journalists Front in association with the Academic Staff College of the Andhra University here on Monday.
The State Governments were not allocating adequate funds to the oldest university in the region and one of the oldest in the country – the Andhra University – as a result the Government grant was not enough to meet the salary and pension expenses and the university was unable to take up any development works for past many years, the VC said. If the University was made a Central University, the funds could be spent on other State Universities which were also crying for funds, he added.
The demand for AU being made Central University was an old one as it was one of the oldest universities in the country and had been the first to introduce Earth Sciences, Chemical Engineering and Management, former vice-chancellor of Dravidian University KS Chalam said. With the formation of a new State AP should get another central university, he added.
Principals of AU colleges and deans of different disciplines along with Registrar of the University participated in the discussion.
