GUJRAT: Despite reservations of the University of Gujrat (UoG) about the establishment of a sub-campus in Lalamusa, the Punjab government has constituted a special committee and sought a report from the Gujrat district government on the proposed site for the sub-campus along GT Road.

The district government has proposed a major chunk of land at the local government academy as well as the land of the Government Elementary High School for Boys for the UoG sub-campus. The special committee constituted by the chief minister to review the proposed site and allocation of the required land is going to meet the Punjab senior member board of revenue on Wednesday (today) in Lahore.

Besides PML-N MNA Jafar Iqbal, also a federal parliamentary secretary for defence who chairs the special committee, MPA Mian Tariq Mehmood, MPA Shabeer Kotla, secretaries of higher education department, local government, schools education and irrigation, senior member board of revenue and the Gujrat DCO have also been nominated by the CM as members of the committee.

The UoG administration, MPA Mian Tariq Mahmood and officials of the district government are against the project because Lalamusa city is located just 20km from the UoG’s main Hafiz Hayat campus.

MPA Mian Tariq while talking to Dawn said the sub-campus project had never been feasible. Besides, its along GT Road while the Punjab government had already issued directions for discouraging campuses establishment on the main highways to avoid the blockades by the students’ demonstrations, he said.

A senior official of the UoG administration, requesting anonymity, said the university did have reservations about the Lalamusa sub-campus but VC Dr Ziaul Qayyum would not forcefully oppose the decision made by the provincial government in this regard unlike his predecessor Dr Nizamuddin who had strongly opposed the idea.

Another official of the district government said although the project was not a justified but the departments concerned did not have any other option except complying with the provincial government’s orders.

According to the official sources, the local government department has also expressed its willingness to allocate at least 20 acres out of the total 50 acres land of the local government academy on the GT Road in Lalamusa whereas the whole land of elementary school (113 kanals) has also been proposed.

The district government, in a meeting on Tuesday with UoG Vice-Chancellor Ziaul Qayyum, MNA Jafar Iqbal, DCO Liaqat Ali Chattha and other officials concerned, has formally proposed the local government academy and the elementary school’s land for the sub-campus, however, the final decision will be made by the Punjab government in the light of recommendations made by the special committee.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2015

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