‘Not fair to our students’: Sikkim minister slams 17-year delay in SCU campus construction

Sikkim Education Minister Raju Basnet has demanded that the central government take immediate steps to complete the permanent campus of Sikkim Central University (SCU) at Yangang. He said the long delay has hurt the academic growth of students and called it a serious concern for the future of education in the state.

Minister Basnet said it has been 17 years since the university was set up in 2007, but it is still functioning from temporary rented buildings across Gangtok. He said this situation is causing many difficulties for students, faculty and the overall development of higher education in the state.

“This is not fair to our students. A proper campus is very important for quality education. Seventeen years is a long time to wait,” said Basnet. He described the delay as a serious concern and questioned the lack of urgency from the central government. “Even though Parliament passed a bill for the university, and funds were sanctioned by the Government of India, it took a very long time to hand over the land. Why is this being neglected despite repeated promises?” he asked.

The minister also pointed out that several people who had supported the demand for the university campus have passed away, still waiting for their dream to be fulfilled. He said that the struggle for a permanent university campus has gone on for many years, across different governments, but the issue remains unresolved.

Basnet said students are currently attending classes in buildings that were never meant for full-time universities. There is a shortage of proper classrooms, hostels, libraries, laboratories, and other basic facilities. “This delay is holding back not just education, but also the dreams of young people in Sikkim,” he said.

He also appealed to the new Vice Chancellor of SCU, Professor Abhijeet Dutta, to speed up the process of shifting the university to its permanent campus in Yangang. “We request the support of academic experts and the university administration. Please make it a priority,” he said.

The Education Minister said that the government is making new efforts now. He said that the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Center of Excellence has also been planned, with a large budget already allocated. He added that work is in progress, and the first phase of the campus should be ready by the end of this year, if everything goes well.

“I will visit the site and inspect the progress. We have done similar inspections earlier at Burtuk College and Denzong College. The infrastructure needs to be improved everywhere. There are also discussions going on about the shortage of faculty,” he said.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Abhijeet Dutta, also gave an update on the progress of the campus. He said that construction is moving ahead slowly, and about 74 per cent of the physical work and 72 per cent of the financial work have been completed. “Some departments have already moved to the Yangang campus. But there are many delays due to permissions and approvals which we do not control,” he said.