GUJRAT: The Punjab government will provide funds for the acquisition of at least 100 acres for the Narowal sub-campus of the University of Gujrat (UoG) while the federal government has approved the first package of Rs2 billion for the university since its foundation in 2004. Half of the funds from the federal government will be spent on infrastructure development of the Narowal sub-campus and the other half on the main Hafiz Hayat campus.

This was revealed by UoG Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Ziaul Qayyum while talking to Dawn on Monday.

The VC said the Higher Education Commission had helped the UoG administration get the Rs2 billion package approved from the planning commission as the university had been getting funds from the Punjab government only since its foundation. These funds would be made available in different phases during the next four years.

The 100 acres near Narowal had already been earmarked. The land revenue department of the Narowal district had notified Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act for it which was yet to be entered into the Board of Revenue gazette.

Currently the UoG sub-campus was established in the Government College Narowal where classes in nine different disciplines commenced in October 2014. Some 950 students were enrolled at that campus.

Dr Qayyum said the Punjab government had also approved funds for the acquisition of land for the Narowal sub-campus, adding Rs1 billion would be spent on completing the civil work there, including academic blocks, boys and girls hostels, residences for senior staff and faculty members, laboratories and library etc.

He said the main Hafiz Hayat campus would also be given Rs1 billion approved by the planning commission so its incomplete projects and buildings could be completed as there was still a shortage of academic blocks, hostels, residences and transport buses there.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2015

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