| 7 years on, only 7 offsite campuses functional | | JU moves at snail's pace | | Akshay Azad
JAMMU, Mar 19: The axiom one step forward two steps back, suits the University of Jammu. After lapse of seven crucial years, out of total 11 satellite campuses only seven have become functional. Moreover, there seem meek chances of making functional these remaining four satellite campuses, in near future as the University administration is facing immense impediments viz-a-viz sanctioning of posts and dearth of funds from State Government.
Sources informed Early Time Plus that in the year 2006 the project of establishing 11 satellite campuses of Jammu University was started at Bhaderwah, Udhampur, Kathua, Billawar, Doda, Kishtwar, Surankote, Patnitop, Poonch, Ramnagar and Reasi. "The University Grants Commission (UGC) had sanctioned a grant of Rs. 117 Crores for establishment of campuses, but after seven years four campuses including Doda, Surankote, Billawar and Patnitop have failed to see daylight," sources said.
They further said that the campus announced for Kishtwar, Ramanagar and Reasi have been marred by the controversies, due to land disputes, besides out of the money approved, the work has been started at Udhampur, Kathua, Kishtwar and Bhaderwah, but the process was too slow due to lack of planning and coordination at various levels.
"Out of seven functioning satellite campuses, only Bhaderwah campus has permanent staff according to the sanctioned strength while at Kathua campus few permanent posts have been sanctioned recently while remaining five are being run by the contractual staff and no posts have been sanctioned so far," sources said, adding that the Bhaderwah campus has almost completed staff strength of around 80 teaching and non-teaching staff while Kathua campus has been given only 3 or four posts of professors.
Sources further said that the Jammu University administration was even facing financial constraints to pay the salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff of offsite campuses.
"At one hand Vice Chancellor is boasting of providing quality education and research in the University and has recently forwarded a prestigious proposal to Union Government in this regard, but the project of establishing offsite campuses has not completed after seven years, failing to serve the purpose of providing higher education to students of far flung areas at door step," a professor while lambasting. |
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