Foundation stone of Central University HP to be laid in Dehradun in 3 months: Anuraag Thakur

The long awaited laying of foundation stone of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) in Dehradun would be done within three months, BJP MP from Hamirpur Anuraag Thakur said today.

The university campuses would be built in Dehradun and Dharamshala, and the matter had been hanging in the balance for the last 8 years as the BJP wanted 70 per cent of the campus in Dehradun and the rest in Dharamshala, whereas the Congress wanted to start it in the reverse order with 70 per cent campus in Dharamshala.

"During the BJP government in HP in 2010, the then UPA government at the Centre gave its nod to 70 per cent of the campus to be built in Dehradun and the rest in Dharamshala. And on August 27, 2015, then Union environment minister Parkash Javdker approved 81.79 hectare of land in Dehradun for building of the CUHP campus, but the then Congress-led state government didn't deposit the required money and lingered on the process for two years," Thakur said.

He added that now only the forest clearance was awaited, and all the formalities would be completed soon and the foundation stone would be laid in Dehradun in the next 90 days.

"And after this, the foundation stone of the Dharamshala campus shall also be laid," he added.

Earlier this month, state Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj too had said the Central University of Himachal Pradesh would function from Dehradun and Dharamshala in Kangra district.

Bhardwaj said the state government had transferred the land in the name of the university at Dehradun and in Dharamshala, the government had earmarked the plot but the same was yet to be transferred.