Assam university's Rs 30 crore guesthouse turns luxury hotel, sparks row
Rohika AAU-International Guesthouse came up in Khanapara here at a veterinary college affiliated to Jorhat-based AAU. It was inaugurated in 2023 by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma with the promise of advancing academic and research collaboration.
However, within a year of its inauguration, the state-of-the-art guesthouse was leased out to a private firm for a five-year term, subject to renewal every 11 months. The decision, taken by AAU's board of management, was attributed to a lack of trained manpower to manage the facility of such scale, officials said.
It boasts 12 VIP rooms, 43 executive rooms, a 40-seat VIP dining area, an eight-seat private dining space, and a conference hall, among other amenities.
"Before construction, it was not decided that the property would be leased out. But after construction was completed, it was decided it would be leased out on rent as staff members could not go there (Guwahati) to manage the guesthouse," said AAU registrar Tapan Kumar Gohain.
Student and teacher bodies have decried the handover, arguing that university property should remain in public control. With the veterinary college on the verge of becoming a full-fledged university - only a vice-chancellor's appointment is due - faculty members are hopeful that the guesthouse will eventually return to academic hands.
"A decision was made to bifurcate veterinary university from AAU. As far as we know, when the university starts functioning, properties will also be bifurcated. Since the guesthouse is on college land, we hope it will come back to the college and later to the university," said Raj Jyoti Deka, general secretary of AAU Teachers Association (Veterinary Faculty).
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