Kathmandu, March 10:

Veterinarians today expressed serious concern about the omission of veterinary in the cabinet’s decision to establish an Agriculture and Forestry University at Rampur of Chitwan district.

“The government has made a blunder by discriminating against the veterinary science,” claimed Dr Shital Kaji Shrestha, one of the veterinary doctor, who want the words ‘animal science’ included in the name of the university.

Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai had announced allocation of Rs 80 million budget for the establishment of the Agriculture, Forestry and Animal Science University through the budget speech for the fiscal year 2008/09.

Veterinarians said they were elated by the Maoist-led government when it said the name of the university would include the words animal science. They said their dream was shattered when the cabinet on February 27 decided to establish an Agriculture and Forestry University.

Many veterinarians, including Dr Shital Mani Upadhyaya, Dr Janak Dhakal and Dr Surendra Yadav protested the government’s decision to omit ‘animal science’ or ‘veterinary science’ from the name of the university.

Dr Shrestha said the veterinarians would come up with protests against the government’s decision if the government failed to include veterinary science in the university. Shrestha claimed that the proposal on the university was prepared by Dr Punya Prasad Regmi, an agri-economist, who simply ignored the veterinary science while proposing the name of the university.