Lessons from Orissa
The case of IIT Bhubaneswar provides valuable insights for institutions facing similar challenges. By adopting a multi-campus structure, NLU J&K can overcome its current deadlock.
Following the successful IIT Bhubaneswar model, NLU J&K can establish a permanent main campus for academic and administrative purposes, supplemented by a specialized city campus focused on research and innovation. Both campuses would operate under a unified governance framework, ensuring equal importance to each location.
A potential approach for NLU J&K could involve designating one campus for undergraduate and postgraduate programs, as well as central governance functions. The second campus could be dedicated to advanced legal research, judicial training, and research institutes, all under the same governance structure to avoid any hierarchy or competition between locations.
It is essential for the Government to issue a clear notification defining the roles of each campus within the multi-campus structure to prevent any future ambiguity.
The success of the IIT Bhubaneswar model highlights the compatibility of institutional unity and functional decentralization. Embracing this approach would shift the focus from territorial disputes to optimizing the institution’s effectiveness.
The Government’s prompt adoption of the multi-campus model is crucial, as public institutions like NLUs are assets for the collective progress of regions like Jammu and Kashmir, rather than mere trophies.
