As a proposal for a separate university for Koppal, promised by the former chief minister BS Yediyurappa and higher education minister CN Ashwanathnarayan during their visits to the district in February this year continues to be pursued, officials of the animal husbandry and veterinary services department in the region have submitted a proposal for setting up a veterinary college in the district.

In fact, Kalyan Karnataka region has a lone veterinary varsity at 400-km-away Bidar but students from Koppal district are forced to go to Shimoga or Gadag districts to pursue graduation courses in animal husbandry and veterinary science and hence the proposal, said the department deputy director H Nagaraj.

Setting up of veterinary college could augur well for pursuing the proposed varsity as Koppal district already has a government engineering and medical college besides 100 PU colleges including 38 government and nine aided PU colleges, while the number of degree colleges stands at 30 in addition to two PG centres and one each BEd and MEd college, official sources noted. In-principle nod for veterinary college requires around 200-acre land and Koppal officials are searching for the same.

Basic infrastructure such as buildings for college, lab, veterinary dispensary, transport and water facilities are also pre-requisites. The government may accord in-principle consent if the Koppal district administration ensures a minimum of 70 percent of infrastructure facilities during the inspection by the Veterinary Council of India (VCI), the apex regulatory body for veterinary colleges, said H Nagaraj. All-out efforts are being made to ensure the same and VCI officials may visit the district in the coming months or next year, he told TNIE on Saturday.