Jaipur: The state govt has lifted the mandatory minimum land area requirement for establishing private universities, now only requiring a carpet area of 25,000 square metres. The move aims to encourage establishment of new institutions, as no new private universities have been opened in the state in the past three years despite previous incentives. Currently, there are 53 private universities operating under the state’s jurisdiction.
An order issued by the higher education department on Sept 1 states, “The Sponsoring Body shall have infrastructure comprising a minimum carpet area of twenty-five thousand (25,000) square metres for the proposed University….. No separate minimum requirement of land area or open space shall be prescribed for establishment of a private university.”
The order adds that the requirements relating to ground coverage, setbacks, open spaces, parking, fire safety and other building or infrastructure parameters will be governed by the applicable building bye-laws, development control regulations and other statutory norms of the competent authorities.
A revision in land requirement in July had mandated a minimum built-up area of 25,000 square metres and an open area of 25,000 square metres. For campuses spread across two locations, a minimum built-up area of 12,500 square metres was made mandatory for each site. Now, however, the minimum land requirements regarding total land area or open space for establishing a university have been abolished. Under the new provisions, the sponsoring body must possess infrastructure with a minimum carpet area of 25,000 square metres for the proposed university. This rule will apply to all Letters of Intent issued in the future.
The Higher Education Department had previously amended these rules in Feb and July. While the initial requirement for opening a private university was 30 acres of land, it was reduced to 20 acres in February, with a stipulation that 40% of the land remain as open space.
