Stone laid in 2013, just boundary walls come up at country’s first defence varsity

The central government had approved setting up of the university at the village in May 2010 and the stone-laying ceremony was held in May 2013, nearly a year after 205 acre land was acquired for the purpose

It is just the boundary walls that have been constructed of the Indian National Defence University (INDU), a first-of-its-kind in the country, even as it has been six years since the then Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of the institution at Binola village in Gurgaon district.

The central government had approved setting up of the university at the village in May 2010 and the stone-laying ceremony was held in May 2013, nearly a year after 205 acre land was acquired for the purpose.

The university will offer courses in defence studies, defence management, defence science and technology with an active participation of personnel of army, paramilitary and central armed police force forces and civil servants, etc.

Binola sarpanch Samay Nehra said the construction work of the main building is yet to start. “We have approached the district administration and political leaders to get the construction work resumed, but to no avail. Only five to seven army officials visit the site every Sunday with two security guards looking after the area,” he added.

Former Haryana minister and senior Congress leader Captain Ajay Yadav said, “In 2014, the BJP came to power at the Centre as well as the state but showed no interest in starting the project. Minister Rao Inderjit Singh has miserably failed. The government is only working to divide people on the basis of caste and religion and has no vision for developing institutions.”

Former Minister of state for defence Subhash Bhamre had told the Lok Sabha in 2016 that the construction work on the project will start once the Indian National Defence University (INDU) Act, 2015, is passed by Parliament.

Gurugram deputy commissioner Amit Khatri refused to comment on the issue. Local MP Rao Inderjit Singh, who is minister of state (independent charge) at the Centre, also could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.