The proposed Tribal University has become a bone of contention between the ministers and officials of Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts with HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and rural development minister Kimidi Mrunalini from the respective districts making all out efforts to establish the varsity in their native places.

While Srinivasa Rao wants the Tribal University to be established in Anthakapalle, his Cabinet colleague Mrunalini wants it to be located at one of the three sites available in Vizianagaram district. Both the district administrations have identified lands for the Tribal University and are urging the government to sanction the same to their own district.

According to Mrunalini, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu accepted to set up the varsity in Vizianagaram, subject to the availability of government land. The Vizianagaram district administration has identified over 500 acres of land at three locations in S Kota, Vizianagaram and Nellimarla. The MLAs of the district led by minister Mrunalini informed municipal administration and urban development minister P Narayana about the availability of land and requested him to visit the selected places. He is supposed to visit the lands before Sankranti.

However, as per the directions of Srinivasa Rao, the Visakhapatnam district officials have identified about 600 acres of land in Anthakapalle in Sabbavaram mandal. Higher education commissioner K Suneetha inspected the land Friday and opined that the location was suitable for the university.

Following this, the MLAs and TDP leaders of Vizianagaram district are expressing their deep dissent and raising their eyebrows against the HRD minister’s attempts to take away the varsity to Visakhapatnam. They argued that the Centre already sanctioned an IIM for Visakhapatnam and therefore the Vizag leaders should not insist on getting the Tribal University as well.

“Yes, the chief minister assured that the Tribal University will be set up in Vizianagaram. The MANSAS Trust has offered over 2,000 acres of land in Pachipenta. However, as the location is far away from Vizianagaram, the Central committee rejected it. Later, we identified good locations at S Kota, Vizianagaram and Nellimarla where the government land is available over 500 acres in each area. Along with me, the MLAs of the concerned constituencies and the district collector have visited the sites and informed the same to minister P Narayana. As per the instructions of the chief minister, he will inspect the locations and take a final call. However, I am not aware about the higher education commissioner’s visit in Visakhapatnam,” Mrunalini told Express.

Above all, S Kota is centrally located, covering the agency areas of the region with the airport and railway station located just 25-km and 5-km away respectively.Paderu and Araku are also much accessible to S Kota, Mrunalini added.

Responding to the issue, one of the TDP MLAs in Visakhapatnam district said that a decision in this regard would be taken only after considering the tribal population, agency area, culture, tradition and history of the location. There is huge extent of agency area and lakhs of tribal populace in Visakhapatnam district, while the population in Vizianagaram district is comparatively less. Against this backdrop, the university would come up in Visakhapatnam only, the MLA opined.

Minister Srinivasa Rao could not be reached over the phone.