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Movement against the delay in the land acquisition for proposed central varsity in the name of ancient Vikramshila Buddha Mahavihara has accelerated. Common people including a sizable number of women started mass hunger strike for 24 hours in protest against the lackadaisical attitude of Bihar government towards the proposed central varsity.

Vikramshila Nagrik Samity, a Kahalgaon based voluntary body fighting for the cause of Vikramshila alleged Nitish Kumar and local public representatives for unnecessary delaying the land acquisition for the prosed central varsity.

The members of the Samity along with more than hundred people from different walks of lives who started 24 hours mass hunger strike  today at Ganguli park, Kahalgaon  against the delay of the proposed central varsity, unanimously lambasted Nitish Kumar for playing a hostile attitude towards the central varsity at here. “Nitish never wants to do anything related to Vikramshila. He does not like Vikramshila but always concentrates on Nalanda at his home turf,” speakers at Ganguly park openly lambasted today.

“What makes Nitish Kumar to neglect Vikramshila related affairs, now he is in BJP’s fold and the proposed varsity was the gift from BJP-led central government,” logically pointed out N K Jaiswal, the convener of the Samity. He raised question on Nitish Kumar’s attitude  for not initiates for land acquisition for the proposed central varsity here when the central government  in 2015 already announced for it.

People on hunger strike for the proposed central varsity.

He said land problem resulting delay for the proposed central University in the name of Vikramshila Mahavihar, has made people frustrated and annoyed. He said that people from various walks of lives joined in the hunger strike  today to create a pressure on the government so that proper land could be allotted for the proposed central University at Kahalgaon. Jaiswal alleged that even after passing over more than two year of sanctioning of Rs 500 crore by the center for the proposed central varsity, noting was done so far. “Central earlier in several occasions urged the state government to provide land for the proposed varsity but nothing was done so far,” he alleged. He said that the central human resource department in the last week of September 2016 had once sent a reminder to the state government for arranging of lands for the proposed central varsity at Bhagalpur.

“We  already identify 500 acres land  in three parts for the proposed varsity specifically near the half-excavated ruins of the ancient world University some 4-5 back to district magistrate Bhagalpur. All the lands are private lands  and through compensation, the lands could be acquired. But we don’t know whether the report was sent to Bihar government or not by the district magistrate,” said a local official.

Despite several attempts, district magistrate, Bhagalpur, Adesh Titarmare was not available for his comment but sources from his office said that the report with the maps of the pieces of lands for the proposed central varsity has already been sent to government of Bihar. “We yet not have any instruction from there,” the source pointed out.

“Some formalities initiated by the district administration only on paper works but unless the state government would take some positive direction, setting up the varsity could not possible,” pointed out Dilip Kumar Mishra, the spokesperson of BJP of the district unit. Mishra earlier in September 2016 organized dharna at Kahalgaon township against the lackadaisical attitude of the state government for delaying the land acquisition process. The Samily also in October 2016 staged a day long dharna at Kahalgaon township against the delay of land acquisition for the proposed central varsity.