Rs. 80 crore sanctioned for science centre at Belapu

The State government has sanctioned Rs. 80 crore to set up an advance science research centre at Belapu village in Udupi district under the auspices of Mangalore University, according to K. Byrappa, Vice-Chancellor. Of the amount sanctioned, the State Cabinet has approved to release Rs. 15 crore during 2015-16 as the first instalment, he said at the meeting of the Academic Council on Tuesday. Earlier, a committee of the university had submitted to the government a proposal conceptualising the facilities that would come up at the proposed centre. The proposal dealt specifically on the requirement of funds, and facilities such as laboratories, hostels, administrative buildings, bank and other offices that would come up there. A total of 20 acres out of the 24.86 acres sanctioned in the village for setting up the centre has been handed over to the university by the government. Model centre The Vice-Chancellor is considering setting up the centre on the lines of a township in Chukuba in Japan, and Novosibirsk, Siberia. He said that both science research and classes for post-graduate science courses could go hand-in-hand at the centre. The council approved Rs. 4.70 crore deficit budget of the university for 2015-16. It has proposed further development in infrastructure facilities at its two constituent colleges at Hampankatta and Madikeri at a cost of Rs. 50 lakh each, totalling Rs. 1 crore. -The Hindu