Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar on September 19 said his government had decided to give 100 acres of land to the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for establishment of an education centre in Bihar’s Kishanganj district. “We have decided to give 100 acres of land, free of cost, to AMU for opening its centre in Kishanganj district,” Mr. Kumar said in a letter faxed to University’s Vice-Chancellor P. K. Abdul Azis.
However the AMU, in an official communique to the Bihar government on September 24, asked for another 150-200 acres. “As per the lay-out prepared for the upcoming five AMU campuses, we would require around 250-300 acres of land contiguous to the currently identified site for establishing the AMU centre,” AMU spokesman Rahat Abrar was reported as saying.
Besides Bihar, the AMU – a central university – plans to set up centres in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala and West Bengal. The university has already received Rs.25 crore each for setting up its centre in West Bengal and Kerala.