The people of Meghalaya, especially its students, have been duped by the central government over the request for an agriculture university, Congress MLA Himalaya Shangpliang said in the Assembly today.
Moving a zero hour notice, Shangpliang sought to know whether the government was still pursuing the creation of the Central Agriculture University in Kyrdemkulai, Ri-Bhoi. Currently an agriculture college affiliated to the CAU in Imphal operates there.
“The people of the state would like to see a university with its base and headquarters here in the Kyrdemkulai area, as promised by the government of India when it directed the state to provide 200 acres of land to set up the CAU and not a College of Agriculture,” Shangpliang said.
The Mawsynram MLA also said that student groups had also submitted several memorandums to the state and central governments expressing their concern when a college was established instead of a full-fledged university.
“This development has shattered the hopes and aspirations of the people of Meghalaya, especially the student community, and the people feel that they have been duped by the central government,” Shangpliang added.
In response, Agriculture Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh repeated the government line that it is committed in pursuing the matter of the university with the Centre.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had said something similar on March 9.
Lyngdoh said that he has had discussions with student groups and promised that the matter will be raised with New Delhi by the state government and the Meghalaya MPs.
The existing CAU Imphal has 13 constituent colleges, two of which are in Meghalaya – the College of Home Science in Tura and College of Agriculture in Kyrdemkulai.
