Assam university’s Rs 30cr guest house turns luxury hotel, stirs row

GUWAHATI: An international guesthouse of the state-run Assam Agricultural University (AAU) built at a cost of over Rs 30 crore to host key seminars and conclaves has transformed into a luxury hotel listed on online travel platforms, sparking opposition from student and teacher bodies.Rohika AAU-International Guest House has come up in Guwahati’s Khanapara at a veterinary college affiliated to the Jorhat-based AAU. It was inaugurated in 2023 by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma with the promise of advancing academic and research collaboration. However, within a year of its inauguration, the state-of-the-art guest house was leased out to a private firm for a five-year term, subject to renewal every 11 months. The decision, taken by AAU’s board of management, was attributed to a lack of trained manpower to manage the facility of such scale, officials said. It boasts 12 VIP rooms, 43 executive rooms, a 40-seat VIP dining area, an eight-seat private dining space, and a conference hall, among other amenities.

Student and teacher associations have decried the handover, arguing that property should remain in public control. With the veterinary college on the verge of becoming a full-fledged university, teachers are hopeful that guest house will eventually return to institution’s control.