Land allotment delays stall CUK Capital Centre in Thiruvananthapuram

A prolonged and inconclusive land transfer process has stalled the establishment of the permanent campus for the Capital Centre of the Central University of Kerala (CUK) in Thiruvananthapuram, even though the centre was inaugurated more than a decade ago.

Despite numerous representations to the State government, a final resolution remains elusive. Bureaucratic delays continue to impede the project, notwithstanding the repeated assurances from the government.

Shortly after the centre’s inauguration by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in January 2014, the State government had resolved to identify and allocate suitable land within Thiruvananthapuram district for the centre’s permanent campus. The first proposal identified five acres of land at Kudappanakunnu under the control of the Animal Husbandry department. However, the Revenue department subsequently informed the university that only 2.716 acres could be made available. The remaining land was under the possession of the Kerala State Poultry Development Corporation (KEPCO), which declined to release the land.

Later, the Animal Husbandry department formally conveyed that the entire land was required for departmental purposes and could not be allotted, prompting the abandonment of the Kudappanakunnu proposal.

Despite the setback, the CUK identified alternative locations at Vithura, Azhoor, and Vattappara before zeroing in on a plot of 12.95 hectares at Andoorkonam, Nedumangad. The proposal was apparently facilitated by Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil, under whose constituency the land is located.

Subsequently, the CUK Vice-Chancellor initiated formal talks with the Revenue Minister and Mr. Anil in June 2024 regarding the proposal, following which the Revenue Minister also convened a high-level meeting. During a meeting in August 2024, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan too promised that the land would be handed over to the CUK for establishing the Capital Centre, sources said.

While the Revenue department approved the land transfer proposal and forwarded the file for financial concurrence, the Finance department cleared the file and forwarded it to the Higher Education department for final recommendation. However, the file movement has since been stalled for nearly a year.

At present, the centre functions from a rented facility in Pattom and offers a B.A. Honours programme in International Relations. In addition to a significant rent, the centre has been struggling to expand its operations due to the space constraints, sources said.

Headquartered in Periya, Kasaragod, the university also operates a Law Campus at Thiruvalla. The State government had allotted 10 acres for the centre free of cost.