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Reliance may face students’ ire

BERHAMPUR: The proposed Reliance retail outlet in the city may have to face students’ ire rather than opposition of small retailers like what it has faced in other places.

The Reliance authorities would have to face this opposition of the students of the Khallikote Autonomous College if they did not change the site for their proposed retail outlet in the city. According to sources the Reliance authorities are trying to take over the unused land of the Orissa State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) on lease from the State Government for their retail outlet. But this patch of land is located adjacent to the Khallikote Autonomous College stadium.

For the past many years the students of the college as well as its alumni are demanding the State Government to hand over this patch of land to the college.

In December, the students of the college were on a week-long strike and one of their major demands was handing over of this patch of land under the OSRTC to the college for its expansion. The UGC has accepted this institution in the list of 97 colleges of the country chosen as Colleges with Potential for Excellence (CPE). There are demands in the city for deemed university status for this more than 125-year-old institute of the State.

But space is a major constraint for its development as it is located at the heart of the city. The only way of its expansion is the unused land now under the OSRTC. If Reliance takes over this patch of land then it would mar prospects of future development of the institute.

Apart from it the efforts to hand over this patch of land to the private company would also face legal hassles. As per the official records this patch of land still exists under the erstwhile Orissa Road Transport (ORT) Company which was later merged with the state owned OSRTC. At present the OSRTC is trying to dispose its real estate in various places in the State to consolidate its large scale losses. The share holders of the erstwhile ORT may also use the court of law to oppose the leasing out of this prime land to private company rather being utilised for public cause.

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