The proposal to relocate the Ravenshaw Junior College elsewhere from its present sprawling campus of Ravenshaw University here is opposed by many, including city students.
Hundreds of students under the banner of Democratic Students' Organisation (DSO) staged a protest meeting in front of the district collectorate here today.
The state government recently proposed to relocate the College either to nearby Jobra locality or on the extreme west end of the city at Naraj, where the Ravenshaw University has been given a plot of over 100 acres for its second campus.
"Relocation of the college elsewhere would definitely take away the sheen attached to this prestigious college of the state and we will feel let down," said a student of the college while protesting against the proposed shifting.
Meritorious students from state Board and from other boards like CBSE and ICSE aspire to get a seat in this prestigious college for its majestic building, vantage location, academic ambiance and above all its glorious past, said another student.
Ever since the Ravenshaw College got University status in 2006, the state government was contemplating to shift the junior college from here as the UGC was against running of any other educational institution from a unitary university campus.
Initially, it was proposed to swap the junior college campus with Radhanath Training College and subsequently fresh land was earmarked by the city civic body for the junior college at Jobra.
But every time the proposal is made to shift the college, it meets strong oppositions from students' body and the government for the last eight years is finding it difficult to give shape to its plan for lack of strong political will, rues an academician of the city.
"Continuance of the junior college inside the university campus is not only overcrowding it, but the university is also losing out substantial financial assistance from the UGC," said the academician, who was previously associated with University.
