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Plea to scrap MoU

BHUBANESWAR: A group of prominent citizens on Tuesday demanded immediate cancellation of the memorandum of understanding that the Naveen Patnaik Government had signed with a trust run by industrialist Anil Agarwal for setting up of a world-class university near Puri.

Strongly opposing acquisition of land for the proposed university project at a press conference here, former Advocate General of the State Jayant Das severely criticised the State government for its decision to hand over thousands of acres of fertile land to a non-profit-making company owned by Mr. Agarwal and his family members at the cost of the livelihood sources of thousands of people.

Questioning various clauses of the MoU, Mr. Das questioned the intensions of those in power for their extra eagerness to hand over 6000-odd acres of land to an organisation owned by an industrialist without taking the local people into confidence.

“While making serious attempts to facilitate establishment of the university project, the State government is in no mood to stand by the existing laws,” Mr. Das observed.

Stating that he was not against setting up of an university, Mr. Das said the details of the MoU clearly indicated that it would be private company where the government would have not control at all. Former legislator of Puri Uma Ballav Rath condemned the government’s efforts to “throw all norms” to the winds to help the Vedanta Group acquire huge tracts of land.

Mr. Rath said precious government land and land owned by the Shri Jagannath Temple had already been acquired for the proposed university project at a throwaway price.

All those who addressed the press conference said that they would continue their opposition to the project to force the State government cancel the MoU that it had signed with the Vedanta Foundation, which had since been re-christened as Anil Agarwal Foundation.

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