Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: A 2012 agreement between India and Singapore, aimed at establishing a world-class skill university in Jaunapur, on the outskirts of Delhi, has reached a state of limbo, with the project getting stalled for 13 years due to a land dispute, owing to objections raised by the Delhi forest dept in 2018.
Raising the issue of how the project has got delayed due to red tape hurdles over ‘land use’, BJP MP from south Delhi, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, in the Lok Sabha, urged the govt to remove bureaucratic and legal hurdles that is coming in the way of completion of the university’s construction.
“In 2012, the Indian and Singapore Prime Ministers signed an agreement on the university project. In the same year, 38 acres of land was also allotted for the same. The central govt in 2014 changed the status of ‘land use’ to facilitate the construction of the university,” said Bidhuri. He added that in 2017, Rs 254 crore was sanctioned for the construction of the university, after which the construction started in 2018.
As per the original plan, the university was to offer 500 seats each in the departments of hospitality and tourism, retail merchandising, IT and IT-enabled services, accounts, banking and finance, food processing, logistics, electronics, production and manufacturing, automobile, and health and wellness.
“However, progress came to a halt just six months after the funds were released in 2018,” said Bidhuri, adding, “The forest department of Delhi govt raised objections, despite the prior change in land use, effectively stalling construction.”
In Aug 2022, the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) noted that the Delhi govt’s Panchayat Department allotted forest land to the university without securing mandatory clearance from the central govt. According to the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, central approval is essential before diverting forest land for non-forestry purposes.
The CEC stated that it sought clarification from the Delhi chief secretary in July 2021 but received no response despite repeated follow-ups. The committee revealed that the nearly 38 acres in Jaunapur, since transferred to the department of training and technical education, has been listed as “residential” in the Delhi Development Authority records.
The AAP govt did not respond to the allegations. Bidhuri has now urged the govt to urgently remove the bureaucratic and legal hurdles blocking the project. He emphasised that completing the university is crucial for providing skill-based employment opportunities, especially for the youth in rural Delhi.
Educators believe such universities are important as they bridge the gap between education and employment opportunities. “Industry-aligned skills are not a luxury, but a necessity. It should be expedited,” said a professor.
Mayank Rawat
