PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Pantnagar
Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology will now work to create economic opportunities in villages, besides providing seeds, technology and markets as per the needs of farmers. The vice- chancellor, Shivendra Kumar Kashyap said this on Thursday at a press conference upon conclusion of the Kisan Mela.
While sharing details of the upcoming action plan of the university and the development of infrastructure, he said that the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had approved a budget of Rs 28 crore for the reconstruction of about 30 kilometres of roads in the surrounding areas, including the university campus.
“Many roads in the Nagla, Beni, Pattharchatta and Matkota areas are quite old. Moisture, overgrown vegetation and traffic have caused persistent damage to them. Now, as a permanent solution, plans are underway to construct many roads with concrete. The CM personally called to inform me of the budget approval,” he added.
He further said that interlocking tile footpaths, about two meters wide, would be constructed on both sides of College Road and Hostel Road. “Tendering has been done, and work, stalled due to rain, will resume soon,” he said.
Dwelling on the university’s objective, he said that it is not limited to agricultural education and research. “Understanding the farmers’ actual needs and providing quality seeds, planting material, new technology and markets is a priority. The university’s sale of seeds and planting material generated a turnover of about Rs 2 crore at the Kisan Mela, while private agricultural institutions selling tractor, fertiliser, agricultural equipment and seed, among other establishments, generated about Rs 12-15 crore. Farmers from Uttarakhand, as well as other states in the country and Nepal, also attended the mela,” he added.
