A joint team of the district administration, Binod Bihari Koylanchal University, Bharat Coking Coal Limited and RSP College, Jharia visited Rope Way division of BCCL in Digwadih area on Wednesday to survey around 15 acres of land identified for permanent shifting of the RSP college.

The team, comprising Jharia Circle Officer Rajesh Kumar, CCDC of Binod Bihari Mahto Koylanchal University Dilip Giri; principal of RSP College Jharia Jay Narayan Singh and general manager of Lodna area Gopal Das Nigam, was met with a protest by local residents who face displacement.

Suhashini Devi, one of the protestors, said, “We have been living here in Rope Way for more than 50 years. The BCCL and district administration is trying to displace us, we will not allow it.”

Another protestor, Mritunjay verma said, “There is enough vacant land elsewhere where the college can easily be shifted to, but the administration is bent on the land of our colony.”

Circle officer Rajesh Kumar ( in t-shirt) and other officials inspect the new site of RSP collage at Digwadih, Jharia. Shabbir Hussain

RSP College Jharia, founded in 1951, is one of oldest degree colleges and was housed in the palatial building at Bhagatdih, provided by former king of Jharia state Raja Shiv Prasad Singh.

The college was later shifted to Belgharia in Baliapur block in September 2017 due to an underground fire and subsidence threat to the college at Bhagatdi.

Students of the college have complained against the move, since the temporary college building is situated at an isolated place, where regular public transport is not available.

The college administration was also facing issues with the continuation of its B Ed course as the National Council for Teachers Education affiliation requires the institution to be on owned land, and the Belgharia property belongs to BCCL.

In a recent meeting of the district administration, the university and BCCL administration it was decided to temporarily start an extension office at the BCCL GM office building in Digwadih area of Jharia assembly constituency. It was also decided to explore the possibility of shifting the college in the vicinity of GM office.

Jharia Circle officer Rajesh Kumar said, “We have carried out a survey of the land identified at Rope Way division for shifting of RSP College, but a final decision will be made after taking into account different factors.”