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Mewat, a Muslim-dominated district of Haryana, is one of northern India's most backward regions. On August 1, it makes a significant effort to pull itself up by its bootstraps. The region's first engineering college opens its doors. The college was set up by the Haryana Waqf Board and is seen as a pathbreaking project for the Meo Muslims in the area. Aftab Ahmed, 44, a trained lawyer, is the local MLA. He played a key role in making the new college a reality. He tells Deepender Deswal what it means for the Meo community, Mewat and the Muslim community as a whole across India. Excerpts:
How and when did the Haryana Waqf Board decide to open an engineering college in Mewat?
In 2008, A R Kidwai, then governor of Haryana, came up with the idea and asked the Haryana Waqf Board to take the initiative. Now, the admission process has started and 42.5% seats are reserved for Muslim students. We hope to begin Masters' degrees and MBA courses in the second and third phases.
How hard was it to get government clearances for this college?
Almost the entire process — from procuring land to getting affiliation and approval — has been smooth. The Waqf Board had 13 acres land and four more acres were procured from two nearby villages. The college got AICTE approval and is affiliated to the Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak. The funds were no problem for the Waqf Board, thus, at present there is no need to look to the government for funds.
What difference will this college make to this backward region?
The lack of literacy and education has been the main cause of the area's backwardness. But the engineering college will be a catalyst in development. The local people are excited about the project. The college is a symbol of changing times. I hope it will create new aspirations and provide inspiration to the younger generation.
Why is your region, just 50 km from the national capital, still so underdeveloped and backward?
Too much focus of the Centre and state governments on developing Gurgaon as a world-class city led to complete neglect of its rural hinterland comprising the Mewat region, which was earlier part of Gurgaon. For almost 25 years, urban Gurgaon remained the priority and nobody went beyond the city to see what's happening in the countryside. People could not raise their voice against this lopsided approach due to lack of awareness and education. The focus, however, has been reset since Mewat was made a new district. Now we have administrative machinery that's dedicated to the district and the state government has been liberal about releasing funds for infrastructure projects in the region. Around Rs 1,200 crore is being spent on a road network in the district.
Some say the Haryana initiative is part of the Muslims community's desire to change and modernize. Is the Haryana board encouraging other boards in the country to take similar steps in the field of education?
Earlier people were hesitant in allowing their children to go for higher studies. Now they have realized that an educated and trained child is an asset to the family. People here want to change. Though the Haryana Waqf Board manages many madrassas and other educational institutes, setting up the engineering college is a unique project and I hope other states will follow the Mewat example.
Is there really a significant change in the way Muslims now view education and professional qualifications?
The fast changing economic and social scenario in the country has led to a change in the thinking in the community, which had confined itself to a closed way of living. Now they know that they need to open up. The realization that they have been lagging behind has given additional thrust to their efforts. Apart from this college, a medical college at a cost of around Rs 650 crore is under construction in Nuh. It is one of the biggest, it will have 1,000 seats... six other ITIs are being upgraded. These projects will bring big change here.
