CUTN's Trichy campus plan put on backburner
Trichy: While Central University of Tamil Nadu (CUTN) in Tiruvarur recently received approval from the Union ministry of education for a major infrastructure upgrade, its proposal for setting up a satellite campus in Trichy was turned down ‘for now' by the ministry. Announced four years ago, the new campus was initially expected to be fully functional by this year. But with the Union govt not giving nod, the university is now staring at more delay to expand its footprint into Trichy.
The institution had sought a total of ₹495 crore from the ministry, of which ₹385 crore was approved for the Tiruvarur campus upgrade , while the proposal for the satellite campus was not cleared, CUTN vice-chancellor M Krishnan told TOI. The proposal estimated ₹33 crore for constructing the Trichy campus. Sources said that with the sanctioned ₹385 crore, the ministry of education directed the administration to focus first on addressing basic needs like hostels, staff quarters and strengthening the main campus spread across 500 acres in Tiruvarur. Only later need it plan to set up satellite campuses in Trichy or elsewhere, it said.
The VC said they had been asked to submit the proposal again in the next phase, which is in six months' time. "This should not be seen as a rejection of the plan, and the new campus will surely come up in Trichy," he said. "Even for Pondicherry University, it took time to establish satellite campuses. They first improved their main institution and then expanded. It's only a matter of time for us too, as we are growing in all areas. This was reflected in our performance in the latest NIRF rankings, where we moved up from 99 to 83," Krishnan added.
A satellite campus in Trichy is intended to improve the university's academic reach. The state govt has allotted five acres of land in Suriyur near Bharathidasan University for thr purpose. While it was initially believed that the land would be provided free of cost, the state fixed the price at ₹3 crore, which will be paid from the institution's internal revenue, sources said. Trichy was selected because of its central location, accessibility by air, rail, road, and its status as an educational hub hosting several premium institutions.
"Any new institution in Trichy is welcome as it will cater to the needs of the local people. However, the plans about CUTN setting up a campus here have so far remained mere announcements. If at all it is going to come, it may not be anytime soon," said K Pandyan, former AUT president.