Berhampur University wants Rs 150 cr Phailin package

Cyclone-ravaged Berhampur University has sought a special financial package of Rs 150 crore from the state government to give a facelift to the campus. The makeover plan includes reconstruction of some old structures like administrative building, teaching departments, staff quarters, guesthouse, sports complex, students' union office and hostels.

The university authorities have also proposed to replace overhead electrical lines with underground cables and massive plantation to restore Bhanja Vihar's lush green campus. Located near Gopalpur-on-Sea, Bhanja Vihar was badly damaged as Phailin made its landfall just a few km away on October 12. The authorities were forced to extend Puja vacation till November 18 as the university was in no position to conduct the classes early. "We have restored only 10% of damaged structure and need a special package to rebuild Bhanja Vihar," said vice-chancellor (VC) Deepak Kumar Behera on Saturday.

He was addressing an interface among revenue minister S N Patro, local MLAs, district administration and public to review post-cyclone management and prepare a roadmap for rebuilding the university. The meeting was organized by students' union. The government had sanctioned Rs 10 crore to the university while Rs 3 crore was released for immediate restoration. Berhampur MLA R C Chyaupatnaik and Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi supported the VC's proposal.

The minister suggested the varsity authorities to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for restoration by engaging a competent consultant and submit it to government. "Fund is not a constraint for development work. The government will consider sanctioning funds for development of the university after studying the report," he said. Divisional forest officer (Berhampur) S S Mishra said around one lakh plants would be planted on Bhanja Vihar in the next two years to restore its lost greenery. Source: ToI