The University of Mysore (UoM) on Friday got the Syndicate approval for handing over a 4-acre plot on the Manasagangotri campus to the State government for establishing the Centre for Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK), which is presently functioning at the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) here.
Last month, a meeting chaired by Minister for Kannada and Culture and Tourism C.T. Ravi in Bengaluru had asked the UoM to hand over 10 acres of its land on the Chamundi foothills for establishing the CESCK.
Since the UoM had already planned to develop its second campus on the 23-acre plot on the Chamundi Hill Road, the authorities suggested alternative land within the campus.
Kannada Development Authority Chairman T.S. Nagabharana and CIIL Director D.G. Rao had inspected the land along with the University officials, and the same was communicated to the government. Among the two locations suggested for CESCK, the 4-acre land in the heart of Manasagangotri near the SJCE and CIIL, off Hunsur Road, was finalised and the same was placed before the UoM Syndicate for ratification.
UoM Vice-Chancellor G. Hemantha Kumar told The Hindu that the University’s decision and the Syndicate approval would be formally communicated to the government for further action. “We are ready to hand over the land anytime,” he said.
The UoM has proposed to develop a campus for the School of Commerce, Business Management and Hotel Management and an information technology park on the 23-acre plot on the Chamundi foothills.
When an independent campus for CESCK, which was functioning on the CIIL campus since its inception, in Mysuru was felt, the UoM had offered to give 3 acres of land on the premises of the old Adult Education Department building on Hunsur Road. However, the search for suitable land continued since the UoM land was already leased to some other department.
The Department of Higher Education was subsequently requested to consider allotting the UoM land on the foothills for CESCK and accordingly the UoM officials were asked to hand over the10-acre land.
However, the UoM had already planned for the new campus and buildings on nearly 20 acres of land, and it suggested alternative land for the same.
Also, the government was awaiting a decision from the Centre on giving autonomous status to the CESCK which was established nine years ago and functions under the CIIL. Minister Ravi had sought an autonomous Central Institute of Classical Kannada (CICK) on the request of writers and Kannada activists in a bid to expedite research and academic work. Some litterateurs had expressed discontent over the lack of progress made by the CESCK when compared to other classical language centres and accordingly sought autonomy.
