The Tamil Nadu government has accorded administrative sanction for the acquisition of about 40 acres of land belonging to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department to establish a permanent campus for the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s (TNAU) Karur Agricultural College and Research Institute in Manavasi, Krishnarayapuram taluk.
The college, started in the academic year 2021-22, is temporarily functioning out of a building owned by the Karur Corporation near the Uzhavar Sandhai in Karur town. The college offers an undergraduate programme in agriculture.
In an order issued on March 14, 2024, the Agricultural Production Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Apoorva, granted administrative sanction for the land acquisition at an estimated cost of ₹7.84 crore for the college.
The land identified by the district administration belongs to the Sri Madhyapureeswarar Temple which is under the control of the HR&CE Department in Manavasi village. As per a report from district officials, there was no cultivation being taken up on the identified land. There was no temple, heritage structure, house or other permanent structure on the site and hence, it was suitable to establish the college.
According to sources, the TNAU and the district administration are now expected to take forward the land acquisition process. Once the land is acquired and ‘enter upon’ permission is given, the university will proceed with drawing up a detailed project report to establish the permanent campus with necessary infrastructure, including classrooms and laboratories, for the agricultural college and research institute.
Welcoming the move, Mahadhanapuram V.Rajaram, a veteran farmers’ leader from Karur district and president, Cauvery Irrigation Farmers Welfare Association, said the establishment of the agricultural college and research institute at Manavasi would not only benefit the student community at large, but also farmers of Karur, Tiruchi and neighbouring districts, through its extension and research activities.
