Sahiwal and Okara to get their own varsities

Feasibility study to be conducted for construction work on both campuses

LAHORE: Major development will soon kick off to establish campuses of the universities of Sahiwal and Okara in Punjab, The Express Tribune has learnt.

A feasibility study will be conducted for construction work required for both campuses. The projects will cost an accumulated Rs23million. The study will evaluate and analyse the existing land use and facilities for the project. The project will be completed in three months.

The charter of the University of Sahiwal was approved in 2015, while that of the University of Okara was given a nod of approval in 2016.



The University of Sahiwal, formally a sub-campus of the Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, was established in early 2015. However, it was decided that the campus would be converted to a public chartered university when the Punjab government passed the University of Sahiwal Act 2015 on June 10, 2015.

The University of Okara was simultaneously envisioned by the provincial government and 280 acres of land at Renala Khurd was approved for the campus in 2015.

Meanwhile, the administrative charge of both universities was temporarily given to the University of Education (UoE) Lahore Vice Chancellor Dr Rauf-e-Azam.



According to the survey, a preliminary master plan for the universities will be prepared. The plan will be for the next 10 years. It shows proposed buildings such as academic blocks, administration block, student hostels, library, auditorium, research centre in basic and clinical sciences, staff residences, sports and other facilities, internal roads, pavements, parking area and open spaces for future expansion.

The scheme is part of the Punjab Higher Education Department’s Annual Development Programme (ADP) for FY2016-17.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2017.