Gujarat Vidyapith (GV), a deemed university, is said to have begun looking for land to relocate its campus from its current location, where Mahatma Gandhi established it during his stay in Ahmedabad in 1920.
Trustees also discussed receiving Rs18 crore in compensation for the varsity’s land acquired by the metro rail project during the meeting. A three-member committee led by Dilip Thaker was formed during the meeting to look for new land. Similarly, another committee has been formed to review restructuring trustee groups, “equality and development,” and “property,” among other things.
According to sources, the funds received from metro authorities were supposed to be used to develop the campus, but the varsity has now decided to purchase new land. The buzz is that two other GV campuses, Randheja and Sadra, which offer bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD programmes primarily focused on rural life, will be combined to form a single campus.
DH spoke with two trustees who confirmed that the “varsity is planning to relocate its campus somewhere else in Gandhinagar.” “It’s nothing out of the ordinary. It is in its early stages.” They stated that plans are still being discussed, but that a decision will be made soon.
Another trustee, who did not want to be quoted, stated, “Gandhi established this varsity in the middle of a village, and his educational focus was on village life. The varsity is now located in the heart of the city. We are attempting to bring it back to rural areas so that students can experience the type of environment that Gandhi envisioned when he founded it.”
The entire campus has been relocated outside of Ahmedabad, contrary to what the varsity had planned several years ago. Officials stated that the varsity had previously planned to relocate some of its core courses to rural areas and had sought land from the government. But the plan never came to fruition. These fundamental courses include social work, rural studies, rural economics, and rural sociology.
Many varsity officials are sceptical of the relocation, claiming that “if the entire campus is relocated, Vidyapith will lose its heritage value.”
Vidyapith has been embroiled in controversy over the appointment of its chancellor, Acharya Devvrat, who is also the governor of Gujarat. Following the death of Ela Bhatt, a noted activist and founder of Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), who had tendered her resignation prior to her death, Vidyapith officials led by former vice-chancellor Rajendra Khimani invited Devvrat to be appointed as chancellor.
Meanwhile, nine varsity trustees resigned in protest and wrote an open letter to the governor, urging him not to accept the position because it was “done under crass political pressure” and “in total disregard of Gandhi’s values, methods, and practises.” While the controversy has subsided, Khimani resigned after the UGC informed him that he was ineligible for the position and was facing a vigilance investigation.