AIIMS in Bathinda to affect PAU cotton research projects
Thursday, 16/07/2015
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BATHINDA: The construction of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here is likely to affect the research undertaken by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on cotton cultivation in the region and may lead to the closure of its research centre here.
Contrary to the media reports on the government looking for 100-acre agricultural land for the AIIMS here, the PAU regional research centre on the BathindaDabwali Road will have to give away its 180 of the 230 acres of land to the AIIMS.
So , he research centre will be left only with 50 acres for research projects. Also, there is no official word from the government on providing alternative land.
The development assumes significance, especially when the state’s top three officials on agriculture — additional chief secretary and financial commissioner (development), Suresh Kumar, PAU vice-chancellor Baldev Singh Dhillon and agriculture director Mangal Singh – recently attended a conference here and talked about how the lack of research had triggered a decline in cotton farming.
PAU research centre officials seem resigned to giving its land for AIIMS.
Recently, the PAU centre has been upgraded with 60 seats for the first two years of six-year BSc agriculture course. However, additional land has not been given. Interestingly, the demarcation of land has been more of a headache for the Bathinda administration than PAU centre.
DC Varinder Sharma said the research centre authorities had asked the revenue department to undertake demarcation of 180 acres.
Sources said the pressure from the ruling Badal family after a political controversy over the location of AIIMS had forced the PAU officials not to object to the project.
During his recent visit to Bathinda, PAU vice-chancellor Baldev Singh Dhillon told HT, “I will try to get alternative land from the government for research.”
