THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Six months after announcing four Science parks in the state, the government has zeroed in on Kerala University’s Kariavattom campus as a location for one of the facilities. Even though the university is upbeat over the proposal, a section of the academia has cautioned that ceding land for the park will adversely affect the varsity’s expansion and infrastructure development plans.
It was in the 2022-23 state budget that the government first mooted the proposal to establish four Science Parks devoted to scientific research and the development of science-based or technological industries. The facilities were proposed to be set up with an investment of `200 crore each. Finance Minister K N Balagopal had then said that if land is not available in existing IT parks or other parks during the acquisition stage, 10 acres of land will be acquired for the purpose.
Following up on the announcement, the principal secretary of the science and technology department recently held preliminary discussions with the vice-chancellor with a proposal to hand over 10 acres of varsity land on lease to the government for the project. The matter was placed before the syndicate which gave its nod to the proposal earlier this month.
“Besides being a shot in the arm for the university’s high-end research initiatives, the Science park project will also be of immense help to society,” said syndicate member K H Babujan. Since the university senate had earlier resolved that varsity land on the Kariavattom campus should not be handed over for other projects, the syndicate decision will be placed before the senate for ratification, he added.
Syndicate member S Nazeeb assured that the final agreement with the government will have clauses that will ensure greater involvement for the varsity in the functioning of the park, though the facility is proposed as an autonomous institution.
Meanwhile, the Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC), a whistleblowers’ collective has cried foul over the proposal. “In the wake of the National Education Policy proposal of doing away with the affiliation system, the stage is set for the introduction of degree courses too in universities. This would require more land for varsity’s expansion,” pointed out R S Sasikumar, convener of SUCC.