The proposed Kanyashree University is likely to come up in the heart of Krishnagar in Nadia after state education minister Partha Chatterjee zeroed in on a 12.5-acre plot near the Krishnagar Government College on Friday.
Chatterjee inspected two plots to identify a suitable place to set up the proposed project after the state government rejected a 14-acre plot proposed by the district authorities.
“It (the 12.5 acre plot) is the best place for construction of the Kanyashree University,” said Chatterjee after visiting the plot.
Last month, the district authorities had proposed that the university could be set up on a 14-acre plot in Godadanga in ward 5 of Krishnagar municipality. The civic body uses the plot as a dumping ground these days.
“The state government did not prefer the land as it is located outside the town… The education minister visited the two with a clear mandate that the university should not be set up in a plot, which has communication problems. The 12.5 acre plot has been preferred as it is located in the heart of the town,” said a senior official.
“We have short listed two plots for the proposed university. Of which the land close to the Krishnagar Government College is the suitable one from all aspects. The chief minister will take a final call on this,” said Chatterjee.
In August this year, Mamata Banerjee, had announced setting up of Kanyashree University. In September, it was announced that it would be set up in Krishnagar. On November 29, the Kanyashree University bill was passed in the Assembly.
The move to select the plot near the Krishnagar Government College, owned by the education department, has come as a shock for Krishnagar Government College Alumni Association as it was demanding university status.
“If the land adjacent to the college is used to set up Kanyashree University, the expansion programme of the Krishnagar Government College would be hit. If the college has to get university status, the land is required for expansion,” said Khagen Dutta, secretary of the association.
