Saving Government Degree College Baramulla

The Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor,

J&K

Subject: Appeal with regard to preliminary survey for Baramulla-Uri Railway Track through the premises of Government Degree College Baramulla.

Hon’ble Sir,

We, the Alumni of Government College Baramulla submit the following facts for favour of your kind consideration. The preliminary survey for Baramulla –Uri railway track conducted by the Railway Authorities has shown that the said railway track is proposed to pass through the middle of the playground of Government College Baramulla. The said alignment, if implemented, shall bisect the college premises into two parts rendering the college ground useless for all outdoor sports and other socio-cultural activities conducted by the locals, besides the college. Further, the said move will not only cause damage to the academic ambience of this institution of excellence but will also destabilise its future growth and progress.

It is pertinent to place on record that the college is NAAC accredited Grade “A” College. It has been granted the status of college with potential for excellence and autonomous status by the UGC. The College has been imparting quality higher education to massive population spread over entire Union Territory.

The college is striving to meet the highest of standard of imparting quality advanced education, is a level A College in the process of being declared as the Multidisciplinary Education and Research University (MERU) in near future. The college will need huge infrastructure to render the expected educational services not only to the inhabitants of the Union Territory but the youth of the country.

The historical play ground is a multi-facility space not only catering to the essential academic requirements of various programmes being run in the college like Physical Education and  Skill  Development in Health and Wellness but also to the sports and wellness needs of the public at large. The facilities available in the playground and mini indoor stadium are also being utilised by other colleges and schools of the district. The playground has impressive history for being used not only as a venue for national level sports events but also as space for facilitating and inspiring many sports personalities to achieve great feats in the field of sports. The playground is performing pivotal role in streamlining the energy of general public, particularly youth, towards wellness and thus evading their engagement in distractions and social evils including drug abuse.

Over the decades of its public services, the college has to its credit an outstanding and dynamic alumni that has been at the forefront of social transformation by contributing in the entire sphere of human endeavours and public welfare. However, the fate of the institution has not been all that rosy. It has been confronted with so many issues that have invariably proved detrimental to its growth and expansion despite being over a century old academic institution in the region.

Born in 1904 as St. Joseph’s Primary School it went through a gradual metamorphosis to Degree College in 1943. It was taken over by the State Government on April 01, 1963 and shifted to the present campus in 1967. A piece of land measuring 143 kanals thoughtfully selected by the then Minister for Education Shri S. Habans Singh Azad was acquired @ Rs. 1100/knl Vide Collector Land Acquisition Baramulla Order No. 960/LA, dated 13-01-1968. Ownership of land was transferred to the college except a small segment measuring 13 knls and 13 marlas belonging to the then MLA Baramulla. He went in appeal to the District Court that granted him relief by increasing the rate of land from Rs.1100 to Rs.3500 per knl. Challenging the judgment Collector Land Acquisition Baramulla went in appeal to the High Court Srinagar which set aside the revised rate and upheld the earlier fixed Rs. 1100/knl vide Judgement dated 18/10/1975. However, the land issue because of aforesaid snag remains unresolved till date.

Nevertheless, in an attempt to facilitate transfer of ownership of said piece of land to the College, Higher Education Department (HED), during 2013, placed Rs. 5.0 Crores at the disposal of Collector Land Acquisition Baramulla as envisaged cost of the land and a building. However, because of the failure of Revenue Department this attempt went down the drain.

Foreseeing the grim repercussions on its academic progression a cluster of organizations including Varmul College Alumni Association (VCAA), Majlis Awqaf I Islami, Gurdwara Prabandak Committee and Hindoo Mahasabah Baramulla during 2017, requested the concerned authorities to resolve the problems confronting the college. As a sequel to their efforts, HED placed additional Rupees one Crore at the disposal of Collector Land Acquisition for compensation of land. However, neither compensation has been paid to the land owner nor has ownership of the land been transferred to the college till date.

This is not all. JK Armed Police has set up lavatory blocks and are parking vehicles in the hostel premises of the college thereby disturbing academic pursuit of the students. Youth Services and Sports Department constructed indoor sports complex in the college estate. Whereas the same should have been under the administrative control of the college, the occupants are running parallel administration and harming academic ecosystem of the institution.

Delay in the release of remaining grant of Rs.567 Lakhs, out of Rs 587 Lakhs sanctioned vide Government Order No.80-HE of 2015 dated 27-3-2015 for construction of media block has caused severe damage to the academic career of media students. The HED gave another death knell to the institution by withdrawing the sanctioned grant of Rupees four crores for construction of indoor stadium that would have been managed by the college itself.

The splendid sports field of the college owes its existence to Major General A.K. Mehta VSM (GOC in 1980) who deployed JCB along with technical staff for about twenty days and levelled the land and gave us the spacious play field. During 2004 Major General Raj Mehta, VSM, the then GOC renovated the gutted pavilion of the mini stadium of the college. And, based on his desire the mini stadium was named “Prof Showkat Ali Mir Stadium”.

In the historical Colonel Roy plot on the east of built-up area of the college, prestigious BCA, MCA, BBA and B. Com departments cater to the professional development of the youth. And in the middle of the Campus is the aforesaid disputed piece of land that bisects the college campus and causes impediments in its growth.

In spite of all odds from the day of its establishment the college  has maintained distinctive composite culture, supremacy in curricular and sports/athletic activities and attained heights owing to contribution made by academic leaders, faculty members and staff with the support of administration, alumni and the civil society at large.

This is the first Higher Education Institution in J&K to have started BCA in 2001, MCVP in 2002, MCA in 2003, three year degree course in Mass Communication and Multimedia (MCMP) in 2004 and PG Math in 2005. It is the only college in J&K that was sanctioned National Channel of Educational Satellite (EDUSAT) among 58 institutions of excellence in the country including Universities, IITS and three under graduate colleges in 2005. The College made distinction by being consecutively accredited with Grade A by the NAAC Bangalore, Potential for Excellence followed by Autonomous Status by the UGC.

The institution had not come out of its sufferings when the Northern Railways came-up with the proposal that is detrimental to the health of the institution. If implemented, the contribution made towards growth and development of this Higher Education Institution by the eminent personalities including Shri S. Harbans Singh Azad, Maj. General A. K. Mehta and Maj. General Raj Mehta besides academic leaders, faculty and staff will be washed off.

The college alumni being an association of responsible citizenry, well chiselled and churned out by their Alma matter tried to explore and think over alternate proposals. The association proposes to consider construction of the Baramulla-Uri railway track on the right side of River Jehlum keeping in view the strength of the soil and minimum dislocation of inhabitants.

Honourable Sir, in light of the aforesaid facts the alumni of the college appeal to direct the Railway Authorities to look for suitable alternate route for the said railway track and spare the college premises, as the said disastrous step if implemented will cause unwarranted damage to the academic ambience of this institution of excellence and thereby the youth in particular and the society in general. We also appeal your noble self to direct the concerned authorities to transfer possession of aforesaid piece of land (13 Canals’ & 13 Marlas) to the college and release the already sanctioned grants for construction of media block and indoor stadium to the college.

Yours Faithfully,                                                                                                          

Prof. Mohammad Ismail

President VCAA

profmismail47@gmail.com

Manzoor Hussain Bukhari, Secretary VCAA

Contact No: 6005265400

Dr Irshad Ahmad Wani, Member VCAA

irshadjk@gmail.com

Dr Nazir Ahmad Sheikh

Member VCAA

nazirs19@gmail.com

1. R. Shalla, Member VCAA

Contact No: 9906506974

Note: The article is based on the letter submitted to Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, dated April 3, 2024.