AGARTALA, May 23 (TIWN): CPI-M Government here in Tripura proposed to set up a separate university for the state besides the existing central university. On Friday the Tripura assembly select committee held a preliminary meeting taking up the issue of the Tripura State University Bill with the next meeting is scheduled to be held on the month of July, 2015 again.Minister Tapan Chakraborty, Manik Dey, Badal Chowdhury, Congress MLA Ratan Lal Nath, MLA Jiten Sarkar, Pabitra Kar has attended the meeting as a member of the select committee on Friday. Talking to the reporters at the assembly Minister for Education Tapan Chakraborty said, “The select committee had held a meeting a meeting on Friday on separate state university.” Adding to that Chakraborty said, “We had discussed several issues to be taken up for setting up the university here in Agartala.” Chakraborty said another meeting would be held on the month of July again this year. However as per leading intellectuals, actual reason behind establishing a State University is creation of breeding ground for CPI-M student leaders, politics rather than studies. At present, State Govt has no control over Central University so Tripura Central University excelling in many different fields of education ; so, next CPI-M controlled university will be a playground for vagabonds.

Besides talking to the newsmen Opposition MLA Ratan Lal Nath said, “No political participation would be allowed in the separate state university proposed to be set up by the Left front govt. here in Tripura.” He said, “Everyone wants the state govt. to set up separate state university, but the govt. here would have to eye on quality education setting up the university.”

Nath also said that the University proposed to be set up would also not be allowed to hamper the studies at the existing central university. He demands that “The new separate state university would have its own autonomy and no political link to the university would be allowed.”

Minister earlier said all infrastructures for setting up the university was ready and added that the varsity would be started initially taking four colleges of the capital under its affiliation. He said there was no conflict between the Tripura Central University and the proposed state university and there would be no problem regarding giving affiliations to the colleges.

The separate state university bill was placed in the last assembly session, but later it was sent to the select committee for further deliberation of the bill.

With the proposed Tripura State University to be set up here in, Agartala, Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty on Monday said, “The separate state university to be set up in Agartala MBB College premises which would likely to start functioning from this year 2015.” However the statement of Chakraborty on Monday had faced several censures among the common masses of state as the Tripura State University Bill is yet to get approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC). 

The separate state university would be set up with an aim to make significant strides in the field of education of the state. According to the bill sent to select committee for further deliberations, an estimated total amount of Rs. 14.00 crores approximately will be required for the maintenance of the proposed university out of which the net expenditure from the consolidated fund of the state is estimated at Rs. 180.00 lakhs approximately per annum.

However but with several censures has gripped the statement of Chakraborty, it baffled that how come the university start by this year as the bill has not yet got tabled in the assembly session and has also got no approval from the UGC that would of course take another year or more than that.