Udyanand Sharma, an advocate and resident of the Darang Assembly constituency in Mandi district, has sought clarification over the proposed extension or satellite campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, at Palampur in Kangra district, particularly regarding the requirement of additional land and the utilisation of land already allotted to the institute in Mandi.
Sharma referred to a recent press conference in Palampur attended by state government IT Chief Adviser Gokul Butail and the IIT-Mandi Registrar Kumar Sambhav Pandey and said that the legal process for around 500 kanals had been completed while a proposal for another 800 kanals had been sent for forest clearance.
Sharma questioned the need for around 1,300 kanals to 1,350 kanals when the IIT-Mandi already had substantial land in the district. He claimed that aroundy 503 acres were available at Kamand, 28 acres near Bheuli and eight acres at Horse Farm, totalling 539 acres in Mandi district.
He said that the IIT-Mandi should disclose how much of this land had been utilised before it sought additional land in Palampur. He added that he supported development in Kangra and Palampur but the interests of Mandi residents, particularly those who had contributed land for the institute, must be protected.
Sharma also questioned the legal basis of an IIT establishing an “extension” or “satellite” campus and said that he had filed applications under the Right to Information Act, seeking the details of land utilisation, approvals and the proposed campus.
