‘273 acres available to AMU’

Kolkata, July 30 (IANS) In a bid to resolve the dispute over land allotted to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus in Murshidabad, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday said the varsity will be provided with 273 acres of land for setting up the institution.

Initially, during the Left Front regime, the Aligarh Muslim University was allotted 288 acres of land to set up its campus in Murshidabad district. But later on, problems cropped up over 15 acres of land within the allocated 288 acres over compensation and some political issues.

"We will not be touching the 15 acres of land within the allotted 288 acres as there have been problems. But apart from those 15 acres the remaining 273 acres is not having any problem," said Banerjee.

It was due to efforts of former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee that AMU decided to open its campus in Murshidabad.

"It has been decided that the 273 acres of land is enough for setting up a campus. We will inform the university authorities to start the work in that land. We will provide all kinds of support to the university authorities in setting up the campus," said Banerjee.

Mukherjee, while announcing the union budget 2011, had allotted Rs.50 crore for the Murshidabad campus of the AMU.

In 2010, Bhattacharjee and Mukherjee had laid the foundation stone of the Murshidabad AMU campus.

–Indo-Asian News Service