Railways keep 31 acres of Gujarat govt land in 'abeyance' for its varsity campus, wants building at heritage palace

The Indian Railways have said that it can't use 31 acres of land provided by Gujarat government for establishing the railway university, a brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the land has no approach roads, indicating that it will go ahead with proposed construction to create infrastructure for the varsity at 100 years old palace's premises in Vadodara city. The proposal of construction, which is said to be threatening the heritage building's outlines, has resulted in a legal battle after several citizens and heritage lovers moved high court opposing the move.

In an affidavit filed in the Gujarat High Court recently, the railways have responded, "The land so offered has no approach from any road as it is landlocked from all sides by private lands. Hence, the proposal was processed by Dy Chief Engineer, Western Railways for the acquisition of private land parcels in 3 different zones for approach... Since the proposed land by the state govt doesn't have any approach, the said land is not useful for the purpose. Thus, the said land has proven to be unsuitable to the requirements of the NRTI, a University, which is sought to be established as a global multi-disciplinary institution. Accordingly, the proposal has been kept in abeyance."

The affidavit describes NRTI as a "vision of the Prime Minister" and "country's first university focussed on transport-related education, multidisciplinary research, and training." The affidavit was filed in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) opposing the proposed construction, which is said to be "blocking the majestic view of the historic palace from the Raja Baug Garden and obstructing the view of the Raja Baug and surrounding land from the palace." In December, the court had prohibited the railways from going ahead with the constructing.

The petition has been filed to preserve the 106-year-old "architectural and historical marvel" of the palace, spread in over 55 acres of land, built more than 100 years ago by Maharaja Sayajirao III Gaekwad. The petition states that the building "has consistently been recognized by the Ministry of Railways (Union of India) and the Government of Gujarat as a monument with architectural, historical and heritage value."

Since 1952, the palace has been housed by NAIR (National Academy of Indian Railways), which provides training to all railway officers. NRTI is also housed in the same palace. Since two academic institutes are functioning from the same premises, the affidavit claims, there is "serious" space constraints. It says that there are more than 500 students of NRTI at present, and the number is expected to reach 5000 in the near future. Therefore, it was decided to construct a new academic block in the same area.

The affidavit claims that the railways have accepted to shift the site of construction 265 feet away from the proposed original site. It says the present construction site is 321 feet away from the palace. However, this move is said to be resulting in the loss of a large number of grown-up trees and other flora and fauna. As a matter of fact, the affidavit also notes that the palace area is full of huge trees. The petitioners are likely to file their replay next week.

The affidavit also claims, "No representation other than Chancellor of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Rajmata Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad addressed to Minister of Railways and recorded statements of Member of Parliament, Ranjanben Bhatt during the meeting of the standing committee held on 13/8/2020 and during the parliament session on 22/09/2020 has been received by the Railway Board." However, the petition, filed by a group of eight persons, including "Heritage Trust," its members, and several eminent citizens, including Vikram Singhal, Sameer Khera, Jaideep Bhanushankar, Alka Smart, Rati Desai, Avi Kensi Sebawala, and Sameer Gaikwad.