The Indian Express 02.08.2012
MC moots college at Manimajra
The Municipal Corporation has approved a proposal for earmarking land
in Manimajra for setting up a college. With the construction of
colleges not under the purview of the civic body, the proposal will be
sent to the UT Administration for consideration.
Around 2 lakh people reside in Manimajra, out of the total
population of 10.54 lakh of the city. Manimajra is divided into two
wards due to its size. However, there is no college – government or
private – that could cater to the students there. The city colleges are
present in Sector 10, 11, 32, 36, 42 and 46. It has been proposed that a
letter be sent to the Administration asking for a college to be built
in the area. Since the land in Manimajra belongs to the Municipal
Corporation the civic body would allocate some land for the purpose.
Area councillor Des Raj Gupta says the students from Manimajra
have to commute a long distance to reach the colleges. “The area while
houses a huge population has no college present here. It would be
beneficial for the students, especially girls who find it difficult to
commute everyday. MC has a lot of land available in the area. This could
be identified and earmarked. A proposal would be sent to the
Administration for setting up the college,” said Gupta.
The idea for setting up a college in Manimajra had earlier been
floated when a comprehensive proposal for development of Pocket 8 in the
area was prepared. However, the development project is on hold for the
past few years after some residents went to court against it. It has now
been proposed that instead of stalling the development of the area and
delaying the setting up the college any further, a fresh piece of land
could be identified and earmarked for the purpose. In fact the
development of Pocket 8 also entailed proposals like construction of a
community centre and a school. A detailed plan for this was made.
Mayor Raj Bala Malik saidthat there was a need to start a college in the area and the proposal
will be sent to the UT. She added that while higher education is not
under the the MC, the civic body would support it.