SHILLONG, March 9: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, on Tuesday, said the state government was pursuing with the Centre for establishing a central agricultural university in Meghalaya, even as he fought shy of giving any commitment.
“It is an important project as it will cover other states in the region too. We are relentlessly following it up, but cannot commit as yet,” said the chief minister during the Question Hour of the Budget session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.
Sangma said that Rs 5.49 crore had been released to the deputy commissioner of Ri Bhoi for the land at Kyrdemkulai.
Replying to a query on whether the land was used for the designated purpose, Sangma said the Centre had utilised the land for setting up a constituent College of Agriculture (COA) affiliated to the existing Central Agricultural University (CAU) in Imphal.
He also informed that the state government has handed over MeECL land measuring around 18 acres located at Umktieh, Umiam, to the CAU, Imphal, for setting up of a constituent college of postgraduate studies for Agriculture Sciences.
Opposition Congress MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh, pointed out that the demand for the setting up of an agricultural varsity in the state has been pending since 2019.
Replying to Lyngdoh, the chief minister said that the matter was pending since a longer period – 2008. “We are, however, constantly pursuing this matter and the Centre has taken it up,” he asserted.
He recalled that the planning commission had approved the proposal in 2010 and the Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Indian Council of Agricultural Research had recommended the site. In 2015, a proposal to establish the varsity through an act of parliament was put in place, Conrad said.
The chief minister added: “Observations were made and things started changing”.
The chief minister said the Centre had responded by forwarding a copy of the statement in Lok Sabha on June 6, 2019, while adding communications are on and the state government is still at it.