poulomi ghosh
KOLKATA, 2 JUNE: The state government is yet to allot any college to the two new universities, one named after Kazi Nazrul in Asansol and another after Panchanan Barma in Cooch Behar, though both of them will start functioning from the coming academic session.
Since this has never happened with new universities that have come up in the recent past, it has made the position of the colleges, supposed to come under the predetermined jurisdiction of the new universities, uncertain.
For the time being, it has been decided that both the universities will start with post-graduate departments from this August. The matter of affiliation of colleges will be decided later.  According to the Kazi Nazrul University Act, 2012, the district of Birbhum and sub-division of Durgapur and Asansol in the district of Burdwan will come under its jurisdiction reducing the present academic overload on Burdwan University. A total of 34 colleges were supposed to be affiliated to it.
On the other hand, the Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University will reduce the pressure of North Bengal University, taking care of the district of Cooch Behar and sub-division of Alipurduar in the district of Jalpaiguri. A total of 25 colleges were to be affiliated under it.
Meanwhile, the resentment that has cropped up among the colleges of Birbhum is that geographically Burdwan University is nearer to some of the Birbhum colleges than the new university at Asansol.
"The higher education department has not informed us anything about the transfer of our college from Burdwan University to Kazi Nazrul University. Hence, the colleges do not have any official reaction. But it is true that Burdwan University is of great repute while the new university will have to start from the scratch. But since we have no information,  it can be assumed that it will take time," said the principal of a Bolpur college.
Many colleges in Birbhum district, however, apprehend that the proposed transfer may affect admissions in the colleges from this year.
A similar situation took place when Bidhan Nagar Government college got affiliated to West Bengal State University from University of Calcutta (CU) in 2008.  The college authorities protested the decision and even wrote to the higher education department urging it to bring the college back under CU. But the plea went unheard.
Taking lessons from such complications, this time, the part of college allotment has been postponed and the Vice-Chancellors have been asked to start with the post-graduation as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants these two universities to start functioning immediately. 
"At present these two universities do not have any infrastructure though the Bills were passed in July 2012, a year ago. The situation is even worse than what Sidho-Kanho-Birsa University and West Bengal State University had initially. There would have been severe protests from the colleges if the colleges were identified to be transferred under the new universities immediately," said an academic.