The Alumni Students Association and Students Association of Sahyadri College here have opposed the setting up of a Special Sports Training Centre by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Khelo India at the Sahyadri college. The leaders have warned of staging a protest if the project is not shifted to another place or dropped from the Sahyadri college campus.
Gurumurthy, district president of the association told reporters here on Monday that it is said that in a meeting held on Saturday with Vice-Chancellor of Kuvempu University, the DC has instructed to allot 18.4 acres of land on Sahyadri Campus to set up a Special Sports Training Centre. It is a plan by elected representatives to encroach and snatch the land that belonged to college, he alleged. "Why are they targeting and seeking Sahyadri college land? There are thousands of acres of land in and around the city which can be allotted for the centre. They can seek SUDA for help in this issue. If the MP is more interested in developing sports infrastructure, why can't he give land near his educational institution PESIT college?" he questioned.
Gurumurthy said that if the VC agrees to allot land for the centre it will be a big mistake. This project is unscientific and should be dropped immediately, he urged. KT Gangadhar, state working president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene said that the state government will always have a land bank for these projects from which land can be allotted.
They can even seek land for the centre near the Sugar Factory in the industrial estate, he said. Gangadhar said that the leaders are not against setting up the centre but are against setting up inside the Sahyadri college campus. Professor Rajendra Chennai said that without seeking public opinion, the DC has instructed to allot land for the centre. The order should be withdrawn immediately or a severe movement will be launched in this regard in the coming days, he warned.
