2nd campus still a dream for RD University

BHUBANESWAR: Two years have passed since the state government upgraded three autonomous colleges — Rama Devi (RD) Women's University in Bhubaneswar, Gangadhar Meher University in Sambalpur and Khallikote Cluster University in Berhampur — to universities.
While the two latter institutions have received land to set up second campuses, the government is yet to find a suitable location for the second campus of RD Women's University. The university, the first in the state for women, began life as an affiliating university with 47 women's colleges that were once under Utkal University shifting to it. "The RD Women's University takes up an immense load of affiliated colleges but does not have proper infrastructure," said a teacher of the university.

The institution is spread over 24.57 acres of land near Rupali Square. While it was upgraded to a proper university, the land area did not increase. "We have not started our PhD programmes due to lack of infrastructure. We do not have land to set up good laboratories and research centres to start doctoral programmes," said the teacher. The university cannot host inter-college or inter-university sports meets due to lack of a good playground and a sports complex. "We do not even have a guest house to accommodate national and international guests visiting our institution. We need staff quarters inside the campus like other universities," said the senior teacher. The state government had initially selected a piece of land in Daspur, on the outskirts of the city, for the second campus of RD Women's University.

However, the plan to house the second campus there was dropped after the location was deemed to be too remote. There was also talk of setting up the second campus within Utkal University, but that proposal, too, came a cropper. Vice-chancellor Padmaja Mishra said the second campus would solve the problem of land crunch. "We can start new departments such as business administration and journalism after setting up infrastructure on the second campus," she added. Higher education secretary GVV Sarma said the state government had not selected any land for the second campus of the varsity. "We will take a call on the matter soon," he added.