Foundation stone for Central Tribal University-Andhra Pradesh likely to be laid in June

With pressure reportedly mounting from the Central government and university authorities, the Andhra Pradesh government is keen to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the Central Tribal University-Andhra Pradesh (CTU-AP) in June

VIZIANAGARAM

With pressure reportedly mounting from the Central government and university authorities, the Andhra Pradesh government is keen to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the Central Tribal University-Andhra Pradesh (CTU-AP) in June. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is expected to attend the foundation ceremony and hold a public meeting in Saluru constituency of Parvatipuram-Manyam district.

The State government acquired 561.88 acres of land in Chinnamedapalli (Mentada mandal) and Marrivalasa (Dattirajeru) mandals. The university will have two routes — one from Saluru in Parvatipuram-Manyam district and the other from Gajapathinagaram in Vizianagaram district.

According to sources, the government has released around ₹5 crore out of ₹30 crore of the total compensation to be paid to the landowners. It has to release another ₹1 crore for the land needed for the construction of the approach road. Minister for Education Botcha Satyanarayana indicated that the pending compensation would be released to the concerned landowners in a couple of months as the government was planning to hold the foundation-stone laying ceremony in June.

Secretary of Union Ministry of Education K. Sanjay Murthy wrote to Chief Secretary K. Jawahar Reddy on April 4, 2023, expressing displeasure over the inordinate delay in handing over the land to the CTU-AP authorities. He said that the Union Cabinet had already approved ₹420 crore for the establishment of the university in the first phase.

The university has been functioning on Andhra University land located on the outskirts of Vizianagaram for the past four years. University Vice-Chancellor T.V. Kattimani said he was hopeful that the decks would be cleared and the construction process would begin soon.

In a press release, former MP of Parvatipuram Parliamentary constituency D.V.G. Sankara Rao said that the construction of the university would enable many tribal students to pursue higher education. He hoped that the construction of the international airport in Vizianagaram district would enable eminent academicians from different parts of the country to visit the university after completion of its construction process.