Malappuramm (Kerala), Dec 24 (IANS): The long awaited special centre of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) was officially launched here Saturday by union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal.

Sibal dedicated the centre to the nation. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy praised the efforts of the previous Left government to ensure that the centre was set up. "When we took over the government, we also did our bit and finally it has become a reality," said Chandy.

The AMU special centre is being set up here as part of the plans to set up five such AMU centres in the country.

The first batch of classes for MBA and LLb have already commenced at a temporary centre near the new campus.

During the previous Left government's tenure, Indian Union Muslim League, an ally of the Congress, was insistent that the new centre be set up near Panakkad, which is the headquarters of the party.

But last year, the Left government took the lead and got full possession of the 336 acres at Cholamalla in Malappuram district, which has the largest Muslim population in the state.

At Saturday's function, Sibal also laid the foundation stone for the new campus. Five hostels for men and three hostels for women would come up soon.

The central government has sanctioned Rs.200 crore for the AMU centre. Its campus is expected to be ready in five years, and will have facilities from pre-school to a full-fledged medical college.

The state government will spend Rs.100 crore on the development of the campus.