Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Wednesday, 15 July visited the under-construction permanent campus of Sri Sri Aniruddhadeva Sports University at Chabua in Dibrugarh district and directed officials to accelerate construction so students can access the new facilities at the earliest. The site inspection underscores the state's push to establish the institution as one of India's leading sports universities.

Key Directives from the Governor

During his walkthrough of the project site, Governor Acharya instructed Public Works Department (Building) officials to speed up work without delay. He also called for the establishment of a dedicated Yoga centre on campus, stressing that sports and wellness infrastructure are essential to the holistic development of students.

Notably, the Governor directed university authorities to maintain close coordination with the PWD and the Dibrugarh district administration to keep the project within its stipulated timeline. He further mandated that all concerned departments submit monthly progress reports to Raj Bhavan for regular monitoring — a measure aimed at preventing delays that have historically plagued public infrastructure projects in the region.

Academic Roadmap and NEP Alignment

Earlier in the day, Acharya chaired a review meeting at the university's city campus, where Vice-Chancellor Prof. Hirendra Nath Sarma presented a detailed briefing on academic progress and infrastructure development. The Governor emphasised that all programmes must align with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

He also highlighted the importance of incorporating the 'Professor of Practice' concept — a framework that bridges classroom learning and real-world expertise by bringing in practitioners from relevant fields. This approach, increasingly adopted by central universities, is seen as critical for a specialised institution like a sports university.

Innovative Courses and Cultural Preservation

Vice-Chancellor Sarma informed the Governor that the university has already launched several distinctive programmes, including courses on elephant taming and training and indigenous games. These initiatives are designed to preserve traditional knowledge systems while integrating the region's rich cultural heritage into modern sports education — a differentiator that sets the institution apart from conventional sports universities.

What Completion Would Mean

According to the Governor, the operationalisation of the permanent campus at Chabua would significantly expand the university's academic infrastructure and enable it to introduce more innovative courses. This comes amid growing national attention on sports infrastructure following India's performance at recent international competitions, making the timely completion of such facilities a matter of both regional and national interest.

The next milestone will be the submission of the first monthly progress report to Raj Bhavan, which will signal whether the accelerated timeline is on track.