Like many projects meant for educational upliftment of country’s backward region, in the recent time the much-talked about AMU Kishanganj Centre project is still in uncertainty over lack of appropriate fund. Announced in 2008-09 by the then Union Minister of Human Resources and Development Arjun Singh in UPA I government, the off-campus centre of AMU at Kishanganj has witness series of ups and downs and suffered badly due to lack of coordination between the governments at Centre and state levels. Even five years after the announcement there are doubts about the existence of full-fledged campus of AMU at Kishanganj which has panicked the AMU Alumni from the region along with the education lovers.
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| Former AMU VC P K Abdul Azis presenting memento to former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar |
On Tuesday, exactly three years passed since the agreement happened between the government of Bihar and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) administration at District Magistrate (DM) office in Kishanganj on December 30, 2011. At that time the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the representatives from the Bihar Government and AMU Registrar Prof V K Abdul Jaleel. AMU Vice Chancellor Prof P K Abdul Azis was also present with him team comprised of Prof Ikram Hussain, Prof N A K Durrani, Prof Yasmin Jalal Beg, Prof Jawed Akhtar and Prof Yahya. With the signing of MoU the Bihar government had transferred 224.02 acres land at Chakla village situated at the outskirts of Kishanganj town to establish the special centre of AMU in the north-eastern district of state. December 30, 2011 was referred as a red-letter day for Seemanchal by the common people, intellectuals, social activists and politicians. In fact, with the establishment of AMU Centre at Kishanganj people were eyeing the educational upliftment of the one of country’s most backward region Seemanchal. However, the delay is creating doubts in the minds of activists and front-running organisations worked for the cause of AMU Kishanganj since its announcement way back in 2008-2009.
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| A warning board on AMU site |
An AMU Alumni and presently Public Relation Officer at Central University of Bihar Mohammad Mudassir Alam expressing his fear over the delay said, “sadly three years have passed but the AMU Centre at Kishanganj has not got a single penny a in the name of infrastructure development on its 224.02 acres site. Although two courses B.Ed and MBA were started at Kishanganj in a temporary building given by the government of Bihar, but the Centre government is yet to release fund for the establishment of this special centre. Both the students as well as AMU administration is facing problems in functioning of the Special Centre at Kishanganj.” “The previous UPA government chairperson Ms Sonia Gandhi had announced that her government had given Rs. 135 crore for AMU Centre in Kishanganj during a rally in January 2014, but there is no any confirmation whether the money is received by AMU or not,” mentioned Mudassir who hails from Kishanganj.
Mohammad Aslam, president Human Chain who is associated with the long struggle for establishment of AMU Centre at Kishanganj expressed doubts over the intentions of the previous government. He said, fortunately or unfortunately we had the Member of Parliament from Congress party but the Kishanganj Centre didn’t get the due attention from the UPA government’s finance minister in comparison to AMU centres at Murshidabad (West Bengal) and Mallapuram (Kerala). With the change of government, the hopes of our organisation and people of the area are diminishing day-by-day as there is no confirmation about the release of separate fund for AMU Kishanganj, added Aslam. Sharing his organisation’s action Aslam said we are in touch with AMU administration as well as the concerned officials at Ministry of Human Resources & Development (MHRD). If the fund is not release in this year’s budget we shall again initiate the movement for AMU Kishanganj Centre as the foundation of our organisation is revolving around the special centre, mentioned Aslam.
It should be noted that the AMU Centre at Kishanganj was an ambitious project of UPA I government in which five minority concentrated districts of the country were identified for establishments of special centres of Aligarh Muslim University. Of the five proposed centres at Mallapuram (Kerala), Murshidabad (West Bengal), Katihar later shifted to Kishanganj (Bihar), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) and Aurangabad (Maharashtra) only two centres became fully operational at their own campus. Somehow Kishanganj Centre started in a temporary building in November 2013 but the dedicated fund is a big issue before the special centre. If the dedicated fund is not released by the Central government soon at least in the Union Budget of 2015-16, the fate of the AMU Central at Kishanganj would remain hanging in balance.
