Jammu: The Ministry of Defence has approved the exchange of land, paving the way for the Army to vacate over 147 kanals adjoining the varsity's main campus at Rakh Bahu here after more than five decades.

Under the approved proposal, the Jammu and Kashmir administration will hand over 2,062 kanals and 17 marlas of land in Nagrota tehsil and 62 kanals in Jammu tehsil to the Army in lieu of the land currently under its possession adjacent to the university campus, according to an official communication, officials said.

The land was originally allotted to the university by the state government in 1973, but a portion remained under the Army's occupation, they said. "The matter had been pursued by successive university administrations and the erstwhile state government over the years," they added.

The issue gained momentum during the tenure of Vice-Chancellor Prof Umesh Rai, who took it up with the Ministry of Defence in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir administration, defence authorities and other stakeholders, they added.

Welcoming the decision, Prof Rai described it as a "historic step" that would enable the university to meet its growing academic and infrastructure requirements.

"The availability of the land will help us plan future development in a more systematic manner and create the infrastructure required for our students, scholars and faculty," he said.

He thanked President Droupadi Murmu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the Indian Army and senior civil and defence officials for facilitating the resolution of the long-pending issue.

The university said the additional land would be utilised for expanding academic and research infrastructure, innovation facilities and student amenities as part of its long-term development plans.

This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.