ADILABAD: Though the proposal for setting up a tribal university in the erstwhile Adilabad district was made by the Central government some 10 years ago, it remains a long-pending dream for students till date.
Tribal population is considerably high in the erstwhile Adilabad district and the place is easily accessible for students from the neighbouring states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and also Andhra Pradesh. The then UPA government led by the Congress sanctioned Tribal University in 2008 but it has not materialised till now. Officials of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor, conducted a survey and identified a 300-acre land in Utnoor for the establishment of Tribal University.
It is believed that setting up a tribal university will help tribals in the state to preserve their culture and traditions and research can be done on their health, education, land-related issues, women and their socio-economic conditions. Research can also be done on biodiversity and forest and coal mines, and environmental pollution if tribal university is established in the erstwhile Adilabad.
But, the local people, especially students, are disappointed a lot for not materialising their dream despite agitating for the same for the last four years.
Even Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao promised to establish a tribal university in Adilabad while addressing people on the occasion of Komaram Bheem death anniversary in 2014 just after the formation of Telangana state.
Student unions have formed a joint action committee (JAC) and have been agitating demanding the state and the Central governments to establish tribal university in the district.
The student union's JAC leaders led by its convenor B. Rahul submitted memoranda to local Telangana Rashtra Samiti MLA Jogu Ramanna and Adilabad BJP MP Soyam Bapurao and appealed to them to take steps for the establishment of a tribal university in the erstwhile Adilabad district.
Rahul said it was unfortunate that the state and the Central government neglected the earlier promise of establishing a tribal university in Adilabad and added that the tribal university would go a long way in empowering Adivasis on various fronts.
