Development stalemate

The undue delay in the acquisition of land for resuming the construction of the headquarters buildings of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) at Pookode in Wayanad district has cast a shadow on the future prospects of the varsity.

The university, established in 2009, had secured a sum of ₹100 crore in institutional development grants from the Union government in 2011. The university’s plan was to construct buildings to house its veterinary, poultry, dairy science and technology departments and the Centre for Wildlife Studies with 17 postgraduate teaching departments at an estimated cost of ₹80 crore on its Pookode central campus.

Construction of seven blocks — academic block one and two, central training institute, hostels for girls and boys and associated structures — at the headquarters, having an estimated outlay of ₹35 crore, had come to a halt following a stop memo from the southern regional office of the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment four years ago.

The southern regional bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had also issued an interim order in December 2014 restraining the university from carrying out any construction activity after Green Movement, an environmentalist group, approached the NGT saying that the university was in possession of 100 acres of land that was deemed reserved forest and set apart for the Scheduled Tribe community.

The Green Movement had also filed a public interest litigation in the Kerala High Court and secured a stay order against the construction works. Though the university had filed counter-affidavits against the stay orders, the stay orders against construction works are yet to be vacated, thanks to the alleged apathy on the part of the university and State governments. Though it was decided at a meeting convened jointly by the Ministers of Revenue and Forest to file a joint affidavit before the Court on the status of the land as part of vacating the stay, the decision is yet to be acted upon.

Soil erosion

Now soil erosion from the construction site on a hillside on the university campus is posing threat of landslide during the monsoon. The varsity had spent ₹3 crore for the construction works. If the government failed to resume the construction works in a time-bound manner, the fund allocated by the Union government may lapse and hundreds of students would be denied an opportunity for higher studies.

When the construction works came to a halt, the State government allotted a sum of ₹4 crore in March 2015 to purchase five to 12 acres of land in Vythiri village in the district for taking up construction of the university buildings after the intervention of the people’s representatives.

But the university authorities were yet to identify or purchase the land for the purpose owing to complicated land-related norms and the alleged delay in getting appropriate valuation from the Revenue authorities.

Availability of appropriate land for the purpose was the major hurdle to acquiring land in Vythiri village, Joseph Mathew, Registrar, KVASU, told The Hindu.

“We inspected more than 40 sites in the taluk for the purpose but, many a time the sites belonged to plantations, Dr. Joseph Mathew said.

Norms related to diversion of plantation and the huge amount demanded for non-plantation land have also put the officials in a fix. However, the varsity would go ahead to find out a suitable land for the purpose, he said.

“The varsity has taken all steps to vacate the stay orders issued by the NGT and Kerala High Court against construction at the varsity headquarters. We have given priority to vacate the stay issued by the court against the construction works. The court will consider the case on May 25 and we expect a favourable verdict from the court,” Dr. Joseph Mathew said. The argument of the varsity was heard by the NGT recently, he added.