Oxford University Chancellor refers to a 75 million pound grant as a once in a century opportunity; how should one refer to a $1 Billion donation
September 20th, 2010
Following is an excerpt from a report in NDTV.com.
The school, launched in Oxford last evening, has been supported by several world leaders and a 75 million pounds grant by American industrialist and philanthropist Leonard Blavatnik.
… The University is contributing an additional 26 million pounds as well as land in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, where the School will be located.
The school will provide a highly practical series of courses, leading to a Master’s degree, with a unique balance of the humanities, social sciences, law, science, technology, health, finance, energy and security policy.
The first students will start in 2012 and student numbers will increase to approximately 120 within the next few years.
Lord Patten, Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said, “This is a once-in-a-century opportunity for Oxford.
75 million pounds is $117.15 million in today’s rate. Contrast this to Vedanta University for which the pledged amount is $1 Billion. While Oxford is calling this grant a once in a century opportunity and is chipping in 25 million (one third the grant) as a matching amount many in Orissa and India do not see the value of a $1 Billion donation and instead of helping its establishment people ascribe all kinds of motives. This attitude of many people of Orissa is exactly why Orissa is at the bottom of everything.
Entry Filed under: Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri- Khurda area (1),Vedanta University, Puri,What does $1 Billion buy? What is once in a century Opportunity?
9 Writeup
1. Debi P. Sarangi | September 21st, 2010 at 12:41 pm
It seems that we will take some more time to wake up to embrace the modern culture of development. The state govt. also pretends to be complacent with some good institutes in the state.
We can not get the real picture what are the efforts of the MHE Odisha, and the government in this regard. Lets do our best to let Vedanta University see the light of the day.
I would also like to add that it will also not be very easy for the neighboring states to gather that much of land in magic time. But let us fight for the unique opportunity.
2. abheet | September 23rd, 2010 at 11:18 am
I guess I would beg to differ on this point. Orissa surely needs institutes like the proposed Vedanta University, but at what costs?
The university requires approx 7000 acres of land which is a mammoth amount for any University and more so in India where land is so precious. Even Harvard is not more than 6000 acres. Moreover it is slated to be built on the pristine marine drive between puri and konark. Would the ecological damage be worth it?
There are a range of other issues involved. Moreover just getting a big ticket university to the state is not going to solve the core issues of deeply entrenched poverty. I donot deny that there would be benefits and probably it could catapult Orissa into a higher growth phase, but again let us not forget the costs and the sacrifices that it could entail.
There are a range of issues which we donot have information about ,sitting far away from the site. I guess it would be foolhardy to aggresively press for it without knowledge of these facts and later realise that vast areas of our state are under direct control of corporates. I am here just talking about a possibility and it could turn equally turn out the other way.
Finally I have a major doubt as far as the location goes. It would have been much easier for Vedanta to acquire land for the university project somewhere near Bhubaneswar or maybe near industrial hubs like Jharsuguda, kalinganagar etc as the attitude of the people is more attuned and barren land is easily available. Similarly I am sure Vedanta can decrease the land requirement to not more than 2000-3000 acres through proper architectural planning and layout.
3. Chitta Baral | September 23rd, 2010 at 1:01 pm
I don’t think there is much of a problem in land acquisition. The news reports say they have already bought close to 4000 acres.
Also, what exactly you mean when you say that it will be build on the pristine marine drive and there will be ecological damage due to it. Could you elaborate please.
There is a ton of information on this university that has been collected over the last 4 years. They are at http://www.orissalinks.com/archives/5486 . Please have a look.
4. Devasis | September 24th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Losing this oppotunity to get Vedanta University to Puri will take us behind by 20 years. Also the international airport proposal will become so much more a relaity if only Vedanta and Posco become a relaity.
Best Regards
devasis
5. R.K. Ghosh | September 27th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
This is interesting. I thought land acquisition has hit the bottleneck. And the company is trying to speed up this by threatening possibility of a Tata type relocation.
If Vedanta had already acquired 4000 acres of land, what has stopped them from building the university? How the acquired land will be restored back to the owners, if and when they actually move out, assuming a hypothetical situation of this happening. Are there enough safe guards against misuse the land for something else (for example real-estate development, etc.), if the university does not come up there?
I guess, the answers to above questions will never be available in public domain, knowing the way politicians and industry nexus functions in this country. CWG, for example, is a perfect paradigm for institutionalized grabbing of resources that happens in India. I may sound a bit cynical, but these are hard facts.
6. Chitta Baral | September 27th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
This is what I know: Paying for the land and getting access to it to build is different. On paper they have acquired about 4000 acres of land. They even gave contracts to companies like L & T to do construction of the medical college. The construction was about to start (there were delays due to local opposition in letting the contractors into the land) when the environment ministry withdrew its previously given (given a couple of months before that) CRZ (conditional) approval and asked them to not start any construction until some matters are sorted out. Thats where the situation is now.
The Vedanta University bill that was passed in the Odisha assembly stipulates what will happen to the land if the university is not built. I think it goes back to the state government.
7. Debi P. Sarangi | September 28th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
This 4000 acres as acquired by Vedanta university is not private land. In fact it is the land of Lord Jagannath (Sri Jagannath Temple Administration). That is how they could manage to get such a big chunk without any obstacle. The rest 2000 acres of the land has to be acquired from private vendors. Most of the parcel is having some vegetation.
Secondly it is clearly mentioned in the Vedanta University bill that the land is allocated only for the purpose of the university. If the university is not materialised then the entire stretch of land shall be returned back to the temple. That’s how the state govt. has protected the commercialisation of the land.
I have clearly mentioned all these things in my earlier related comment.
8. abheet | September 28th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Well what i meant was that, Orissa is staring at unimaginable climate change. The supercyclone clearly exposed our coastlines to the devastation of the sea. However Kendrapara district was saved to a great extent by the protection of the mangroves. Similarly Vedanta is going to be built very close to the sea. There is a reserve forest called Balukhand Reserve Forest separating it from the sea. The setting up of the University would increase vehicular traffic on the Puri konark marine drive manifold which could necessiate doubling the road width. Moreover a number of illegal encroachments are bound to come up once the University is established. These may seem really petty issues, but they have to be given a thought. I guess the only other university which could match up to such a pristine location would be Cornell, but India in India we should concentrate on fulfilling the necessities first.
Anyhow when i mention give them a thought, it doesnot mean i am opposing the project. If indeed the economic and human resource benefits are far higher than the economic or social impacts, i wish Vedanta University the very best.
Currently I am trying to access these impacts indivisually through whatever limited means I have. I shall be writing again :).
9. Chitta Baral | September 28th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
@Debi: A big chunk of the 4000 acres that is acquired is private land.