New Delhi, Jan 10 (AHN) Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena on Saturday hit out at the previous Aam Aadmi Party government for not paying the due money and delaying the handing over of land in Narela to two government universities for their new campuses.

Saxena said it is unfortunate that despite the allotment of land in January 2024, the then Delhi Government ignored the requests of their own universities for land and refused to pay any money for the same, he said.

Earlier, the LG presided over the formal handing over of possession of over 35 acres of DDA land to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) and Delhi Teachers’ University (DTeU) at Narela, an official said.

The ceremony was also attended by Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood.

The LG said in a message on social media, “Setting up of new university campuses would strengthen the higher education infrastructure in the National Capital, besides giving a thrust to DDA’s efforts of developing Narela into a hub of education and a self-sustaining model sub-city replete with modern amenities.”

It was only after the new government took over last year and granted Rs 500 crore for the land purchase, in its first budget, he said.

“I am pleased to share that Rs 452 crore has already been paid to the DDA, and an additional Rs 500 crore has been approved in the Revised Estimates for 2025-26. It underlines the Delhi Government’s resolve to translate vision into execution and lay a strong and sustainable foundation for Delhi’s educational and socio-economic future,” he said.

Speaking at an earlier event, Minister Ashish Sood praised the Delhi government’s another lesser known Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) and promised to upgrade facilities and improve campus placements.

“Delhi Skill Entrepreneur University is a remarkable experiment in itself. Over the past 11 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promoted innovative ideas such as startups, scaling, and recognition-based learning. In the past six years, Delhi Skill Entrepreneur University has made significant progress,” he said.

The minister assured students that the Delhi government will work with start-ups and PSUs to increase the campus placement ratio in DSEU.