Bangalore University.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: Bangalore University (BU) will execute a lease agreement for an additional seven acres of land to the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) at the Jnanabharathi campus only after the premier institute clears pending dues of around Rs 35 lakh.
In a recent syndicate meeting, BU took this decision.
According to university officials, NLSIU owes around Rs 35 lakh in dues since December 2022. "We revised the annual lease amount from December 2022 and fixed it at Rs 50,000 per acre, per year for all institutions leasing land from us. While some institutions have renewed their agreements by paying the revised fees, NLSIU is yet to pay," a BU official said.
Although NLSIU had requested additional land from BU for campus expansion a few years ago, BU initially decided not to allocate more land to any institution. This decision was communicated to both the government and NLSIU. However, following government directions to reconsider NLSIU's request, BU agreed to allocate an additional seven acres.
BU also initially proposed reserving 50% of seats at NLSIU for Kannadigas, but has since decided to leave this condition to the discretion of the state government. "In the last syndicate meeting, we suggested a 50% reservation for Kannadigas at NLSIU, but the recent meeting left this decision to the government. However, we remain firm about the institute clearing its rental dues," the official added.
BU had previously allotted 23 acres to NLSIU. Following the university's trifurcation, its revenue decreased, prompting BU to set a minimum lease amount of Rs 50,000 per acre from December 2022. "Despite communicating this decision, only a few of the 24 institutions holding a total of 250 acres of university land have renewed their agreements for the revised amount," the official noted.
BU Vice-Chancellor Dr Jayakara SM confirmed that the university has informed the government about NLSIU's outstanding dues and requested assistance in facilitating the payment.