RGUHS transfers Rs 400 cr to govt for Ramanagara campus

In a controversial move, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) transferred Rs 400 crore to the engineering wing of the Health and Family Welfare department for the construction of a medical college and university campus at Ramanagara.

Sources from the university told DH that the amount was transferred on Tuesday within 24 hours of a syndicate meeting, allegedly under pressure from the government.

The shifting of RGUHS campus from Bengaluru to Ramanagara has been a political hot potato since 2007, with successive governments making attempts to get the funds transferred from the university for the purpose of campus construction. The then vice chancellors and syndicate members were reluctant to transfer the amount as it was collected from students.

Now, ahead of the Assembly elections, the BJP government has managed to transfer the funds.

“Even during the meeting on Monday, some syndicate members had raised objections. But they were helpless as there was pressure,” said a source.

The issue has also been mired in land litigation. A PIL is pending in the court in this regard.

Senior syndicate members said it was wrong on the part of the university to transfer the amount as half of the land allotted for the construction of the campus is not in the varsity’s name. “Of the 70 acres given to the university, only 47 acres is in its name. The rest is in the name of the director, medical education. When this is the case, why has the university given the money,” questioned one.

A former vice chancellor of RGUHS said that when there were similar efforts in the past, the university had conveyed to the government that it would only construct the campus after the land is declared litigation-free. “I wonder how the authorities approved to transfer the funds,” said the ex-VC.

“It is sub judice as the PIL is pending,” said another syndicate member.

It is also said that the funds were transferred without any tender, and before the plan approval.

When contacted, A B Basavaraju, registrar, administration, RGUHS, said they have not received any notices about the PIL. “The fund was transferred following the government order and the syndicate decision. As there is no engineering department in the university and our engineer is also retiring in a month, the engineering wing at the health department will take a call on the construction,” he said.

In 2007, the H D Kumaraswamy government had announced the construction of the new campus and acquired over 70 acres of land. Since then, it has been a political issue, mainly between the JD(S) and the BJP. The matter was raised on the floor of the House several times, leading to heated arguments.