Odisha: Alumni, civilians protest starting district projects in SVM College vicinity

Report by Kahnu Nanda, Jagatsinghpur: SVM College alumni, ex principals, former student’s union leaders, educationists, social activists, lawyers, college students, leaders from different political parties, and civilians on Friday converged at college gate and vehemently opposed district administration initiative launching different projects in government land preoccupied by the college since years.
The protest was led by ex-principal Lingaraj Behera, advocate Basudev, former student’s leader Biplab Choudhury, Arupananda Khanduala, Devi Prasad Choudhury, Natabar Barik, Pratap Mishra and many ex-students of college.
The protest meeting discussed the establishment of SVM College in the year 1963 by conscious people of Jagatsinghpur in the bank of the dead Alaka River with land totaling 26 acres till date. After passing years about 10 Acres of government land has been encroached by the College authority utilizing for the enhancement of college premises in near future.
Moreover in a significant decision on November 2021 state government had decided that encroached land under possession of academic institution to transfer to the name of the Higher education department and the land would be utilized for the encroacher’s institution.
But flouting government decision Jagatsinghpur district administration has started move establishing indoor stadium, medical staff quarters and roads connecting to the stadium in the 10 acres encroached land.
Meanwhile, the land demarcation has launched by the revenue department which was strongly opposed by the college authority and college governing body on Thursday so the drive has been deferred.
However, the college governing body has apprised the state government that for skill development and opening of a few professional courses in college the encroached 10 acres of land is required for the future so the land should not be transferred for other purposes.
After the protest meeting, the agitated alumni and college students took out a rally from the college and marched to collector’s office here and submitted a memorandum to the collector requesting not to transfer college-occupied land to any other purpose. [Ends]

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