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Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Assam university's Rs 30 crore guesthouse turns luxury hotel, sparks row
GUWAHATI: An international guesthouse of the state-run Assam Agricultural University (AAU) built at a cost of over Rs 30 crore to host key seminars and conclaves has transformed into a luxury hotel listed on online travel platforms, sparking opposition from student and teacher bodies. 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).
Time of India
7 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Agriculture univ's Rs 30cr guest house turns into luxury hotel
1 2 Guwahati: What was envisioned as a state-of-the-art international guest house to host high-level seminars and conclaves on agriculture and veterinary sciences, has now transformed into a luxury hotel listed on online travel platforms. Built by Assam Agricultural University (AAU) at Khanapara with a budget of Rs 30.79 crore, the facility 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 guest house — now known as 'Rohika AAU-International Guest House' — was leased out to a private firm for a five-year term, subject to renewal of sub-aggrement every 11 months. The decision, taken by AAU's board of management in 2024, was attributed to a lack of trained manpower to manage the facility, officials said. "Before construction, it was not decided that the property would be leased out. But after construction was completed, it was decided that it would be leased out on rent as faculty members could not go there to manage the guest house," said AAU registrar Tapan Kumar Gohain. The guest house, built on land attached to the veterinary college playground, boasts 12 VIP rooms, 43 executive rooms, a 40-person VIP dining area, an eight-person private dining space, and a conference hall, among other amenities. The move to privatise the guest house has sparked opposition from student and teacher bodies, who argue that university property should remain under public university. With the veterinary college on the verge of becoming a full-fledged university — pending the appointment of a vice-chancellor — faculty members are hopeful that the guest house will eventually return to academic hands. "The guest house has already gone in the hands of a private party. In the meantime, a decision has been made to bifurcate veterinary university from AAU. As far as we know, when the veterinary university starts functioning, properties will also be bifurcated. Since the guest house is on veterinary college land, we hope that it will come back to the college and later to veterinary university," said Raj Jyoti Deka, general secretary of the Assam Agricultural University Teachers Association — Veterinary Faculty. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
