A much-anticipated project to establish Karnataka’s first cutting-edge super-speciality veterinary hospital and pet park at the Hebbal campus in Bengaluru is currently facing significant uncertainty. The plans, spearheaded by the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU), have hit a roadblock due to the State government’s proposal to acquire a portion of the university’s land for an annex to the Nyaya Grama, which provides residential quarters for High Court judges.
The university has firmly registered its objection to the government’s move to claim four acres of its valuable land for the judicial residential complex. KVAFSU officials argue that surrendering this land would directly impede their crucial project.
In their formal protest to the government, university authorities emphasized that the land is indispensable for the planned state-of-the-art veterinary hospital and pet park. They also highlighted that these particular areas are actively used for animal grazing, cultivation, and as essential demonstration plots for various fodder varieties, vital for their academic and research programs.
Furthermore, the university stressed the necessity of establishing a National Cadet Corps (NCC) center on this land, as it forms an integral part of their curriculum for students.
The decision to proceed with the veterinary hospital and pet park was formally made during a university board meeting held in Bidar on January 25, 2024. Sources reveal that the university’s ambitious plan requires a total of seven acres, and the government’s current proposal targets four of these critical acres.
Concerns Over Land Acquisition
It has come to light that a team of Revenue officials, accompanied by representatives from the administrative side of the Karnataka High Court, inspected the site on September 9. Following this inspection, university authorities reportedly submitted their detailed objections to the proposed land acquisition.
The planned veterinary hospital is envisioned as a ₹50 crore public-private partnership venture. It aims to offer comprehensive, modern veterinary care facilities, including specialized training amenities for dogs.
A former university official voiced deep concern that the reduction of land available to the Hebbal campus would severely impact teaching, research, and extension activities. They warned that if the land area falls below the standards prescribed by the Veterinary Council of India (VCI), certain academic courses could face scrutiny or even discontinuation.
“We depend on these lands to cultivate fodder crops for daily use and to conduct national-level research, as mandated by VCI norms,” the official explained. “It is imperative that priority be given to veterinary-related activities when allocating land on this campus, especially given the urgent need for an expansion unit for the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, which is crucial for producing animal vaccines.”
Dr. N. K. Rai, a respected octogenarian veterinary expert and activist, who previously fought legal battles to safeguard university land, asserted that diverting land originally donated by the erstwhile Mysore kings for agricultural and veterinary sciences studies to other purposes would be legally questionable. He recounted a similar situation in 2011 when the government rescinded a notification for building judicial residential quarters on university land, opting instead to use ministerial residential quarters on 14 acres managed by the Karnataka Agro Industries Corporation for judges’ housing.
Historical Significance of the Adjoining Area
Adjacent to the disputed land proposed for the Nyaya Grama annex in Hebbal are century-old structures. These historic buildings once housed the offices and experimental workshops of the renowned Canadian plant protection specialist, L.C. Coleman, who served as Karnataka’s first Director of Agriculture. It was in these very workshops that the first iron plough was ever manufactured. There is a strong call from agricultural experts to preserve this neglected space and transform it into a designated heritage site. This site traces its origins back to 1904 when the then Mysore king, Krishnaraja Wadiyar, established an experimental farm here. This farm later evolved into the Mysore Agricultural School in 1913, laying the groundwork for the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru, which at that time also encompassed veterinary sciences.