Central varsity issue set to haunt Congress in Dharamsala byelection

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, April 5

The issue of Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) north campus is set to haunt Congress in Dharamsala byelections. The state government has not deposited Rs 30 crore for transferring 55 hectares forest land in the name of CUHP in Jadrangal area of Dharamsala. The local residents have been carrying out an agitation over the issue for the past many months.

Govt indifferent: BJP

• The BJP has already lapped up the issue and termed the present Congress government ‘anti-Kangra’
• BJP leaders have been alleging that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 250 cr for CUHP north campus but the investment hasn’t been made due to indifferent attitude of government
• They also organised a state- level dharna over the issue

The issue has gained prominence for the past few months with the authorities of CUHP and many local organizations accusing the state government of deliberately holding sanction of Rs 30 crore for bringing up the North Campus of the CUHP. However, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has been maintaining stoic silence over the issue.

Every Congress leader, who comes to campaign for party in Dharamsala assembly constituency for byelections, has to face questions about the stance of state government over the North Campus. Minister for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Chander Kumar, when faced with questions over the issue, blamed the BJP government of delaying the project.

The BJP has already lapped up the issue and termed the present Congress government as anti-Kangra. Senior BJP leaders, who were campaigning for party in the district, have been alleging that the union government has sanctioned Rs 250 crore for the north campus of the CUHP but the investment was struck due to indifferent attitude of the state government. They also organised a state level dharna over the issue.

Shanta Kumar, former CM and seniormost leader of the BJP, expressed dismay at the fact that the state government was not depositing Rs 30 crore for transfer of 56 hectares forest land in the name of CUHP in Jadrangal for bringing up the north campus of the university

Former Congress MLA Sudhir Sharma, who is now BJP candidate from Dharamsala, has taken a stance that the CM is not releasing Rs 30 crore for the north campus of CUHP to be brought up in Dharamsala Assembly constituency. This, he said, was one of reasons due to which he left the Congress.

Sources here said that in Dharamsala bypoll, the BJP would aggressively go against the Congress over the issue of CUHP. Any Congress candidate contesting from Dharamsala would find it hard to defend the party for not releasing Rs 30 crore for the North Campus.

The Union Ministry for Human Resources had proposed two campuses of CUHP, the north campus in Jadrangal area of Dharamsala Assembly constituency and South Campus in Dehra assembly constituency. The forest land Dehra area was transferred in the name of CUHP during the stint of previous BJP government in the state. The work for construction of South Campus of the university has started.

The permission for setting up the North Campus at Jadrangal was granted by union ministry in July 2023. The district administration had sent the case for deposition of Rs 30 crore for transfer of 56 hectares forest land in the name of CUHP to the state government in July 2023. However, till date the state government has not taken any decision over the matter despite hectic lobbying by residents of Kangra and CUHP authorities.