Bhagalpur/Patna: The process of land acquisition for the establishment of a Central University near the Vikramshila excavation site in Bhagalpur has formally begun, with the Land Acquisition Department publishing a list of landholders.
According to officials, the Education Department has submitted a proposal to acquire 4.29 acres of land located close to the excavation site, an area earmarked for possible future archaeological exploration. A six-member committee is to be formed to determine the land’s value.
Survey work is currently under way under Section 19(1) of the Land Acquisition Act. Once the list of landholders is published, a 60-day claim and objection period will begin, after which valuation notices will be issued and payments made to eligible landowners.
A notification under Section 11(1) was issued on June 14, after which claims and objections were invited from tenants. The project’s social costs and benefits were also assessed by a technical expert committee.
In total, around 215 acres have been identified for the university. This includes 92 acres in Antichak and 84 acres in Malakpur, in addition to 28 acres belonging to the Bihar government. The land is primarily agricultural, with mango orchards, though some huts have been built on government land.
The proposed Vikramshila Central University will be developed near the historic excavation site, long considered a place of major archaeological and cultural significance.
