Jammu, Aug 01 (KNO): In a significant development for the University of Jammu's long-pending expansion plans, the Army will vacate nearly 150 kanals of prime land at Bahuwali Rakh in Jammu city, while receiving over 2,000 kanals of land at Nagrota Military Station under a land exchange approved by the Government of India.
According to the details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) the Ministry of Defence has cleared the transfer of 147 kanals and 11 marlas of land, presently under Army occupation, to the J&K Government for public infrastructure, paving the way for the university's future expansion.
In return, the Army will receive 2,124 kanals and 17 marlas of land at Nagrota Military Station. Of this, 2,062 kanals and 17 marlas fall under Tehsil Nagrota within the jurisdiction of the Defence Estates Office (DEO), Udhampur, while the remaining 62 kanals are located in Tehsil Jammu under DEO Jammu.
According to an official communication issued by the Ministry of Defence to the Chief of Army Staff and the Director General Defence Estates, the Bahuwali Rakh land will be handed over only after the J&K Government formally transfers the Nagrota land to the Ministry of Defence.
The order also states that the UT Government will bear the cost of reconstructing any Defence assets affected by the land exchange, in line with the decision taken during the Civil-Military Liaison Conference held on September 29, 2015.
The Defence Estates Offices at Jammu and Udhampur have been directed to complete the required formalities to implement the exchange.
The transfer is expected to provide a major boost to the University of Jammu, which has long sought possession of the adjoining land to meet its expanding academic and infrastructure requirements.
Pertinently, the issue dates back to 1973, when land was allotted for establishing the university, but a portion remained under Army occupation, delaying the institution's expansion for decades.
The proposal gained momentum over the past four years under Vice-Chancellor Prof Umesh Rai, who pursued the matter with the Ministry of Defence, the Jammu and Kashmir administration and Army authorities. The initiative also received support from Raj Bhavan.
Welcoming the approval, Prof Rai termed it a landmark decision that would significantly strengthen the university's long-term academic and infrastructure development. He thanked President Droupadi Murmu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Indian Army for their support in resolving the decades-old issue—(KNO)