In the wake of persistent public demand, the authorities have shifted almost all the teaching departments and administration of central university of Kashmir (CUK) to Ganderbal district.
The teaching departmentsand the administration including the vice-chancellor’s office are functioningfrom the government accommodations and some prefab structures in Ganderbalconstructed by the varsity administration over the years.
CUK was established in2009 and was functioning from rented accommodations at three temporary placesin Srinagar as the construction of the buildings at the proposed site of theuniversity campus at Tulmulla in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district facedinordinate delay. However, from March last year the varsity administrationbegan shifting its departments to Ganderbal in phases.
To enable the shifting ofcampus to Ganderbal, the divisional administration provided availableaccommodation in old IT1 building, old building of district hospital, CMObuilding, old building of Physical Education Hostel till the own campus of theUniversity gets completed.
“The vice-chancellorsecretariat and administration block was shifted last year to Ganderbalfollowed by shifting of teaching departments as well,” an official said.
He said the university wasshifted to Ganderbal district given the persistent public demand. “We haveshifted all the courses to Ganderbal and only four courses are still functionalat Nowgam campus,” the official said.
The varsity administrationhas accommodated Information Technology (IT), Physics, M. PEd and ITSSdepartments at main campus Tulmulla while education, teacher education, MBA,tourism studies, economics and politics and governance are accommodated ingreen campus set up in old building of Physical Education College.
Science block set up inold hospital building has accommodated Zoology, Biotechnology, English and Urdudepartments.
“We have left Sonwarcampus fully and at Nowgam one building has been fully vacated and just 25percent rooms of second building are in use,” the official said.
Vice-chancellor CUK, Prof.Mehraj-ud-din Mir, said they have shifted almost all the teaching departmentsto Ganderbal while as the left-out four courses will be shifted within sixmonths. “The next semester of these courses will be started in Ganderbal,” heassured.
He however said thestudents and the staff are facing inconvenience due to lack of transport andaccommodation facilities.
“In Srinagar, theaccommodation was easily available for staff and students which is not the casehere. Some students are extending cooperation in terms of hostel facilitieswhile as some are not satisfied with it,” he said.
“We had to convert ahospital building into a university campus here,” the vice-chancellor said.
He however assured thatthe varsity would overcome all the issues being faced by the staff andstudents.