A two-member team of the department of state Higher education, comprising the Vice-Chancellor of the Netaji Subhas Open University, Subha Shankar Sarkar, and the Special Secretary of the Department of Higher education, Shiladitya Basu Roy, on Friday visited probable sites for setting up a proposed university in Alipurduar district.

As part of the survey, the team also visited the Alipurduar college campus. The acting principal of the Alipurduar Women’s College, Amitava Roy, acting principal of the Alipurduar Vivekananda College, Gobinda Rajbanshi and some other officials of the district administration accompanied the team.

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According to sources, the team first visited a plot of government land in the Tapsikhata village under Alipurduar Block-1, and then the Parokata village under the Alipurduar Block-2, while lastly they reached the Alipurduar College for the survey.

The team members, however, avoided making comment on the visit. “We visited three spots in the district. We will be submitting a report to the higher authorities. We don’t have anything else to comment on the matter today,” said the Vice- Chancellor, Netajee Subhas Open University, Mr Sarkar.

The acting principal of the Vivekananda College, Gobinda Rajbanshi, said, “We are happy with the visit. The university will be a full-fledged one which will encompass all 10 colleges in the district under it. The state government had earlier on 28 February announced in the Bidhan Sabha conference its plans to set up four new universities in the state, including one in Alipurduar. However, there has been a mixed reaction on the spot where the university should stand.

A number of people along with Alipurduar MLA Sourav Chakraborty, ruling party leaders and professors associated with different colleges in the district have demanded the new university at the Alipurduar college campus.

A report on the commencement of university classes in the Alipurduar College has already been submitted to the Alipurduar district magistrate recently.Meanwhile, the Dooars lobby of the ruling party has demanded the university in the Dooars.