IIT Dharwad could begin as early as next academic year

Classes at the new Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Dharwad could begin as early as the next academic year, although at a transit campus. Ready availability of infrastructure for such a campus is being cited as one of the reasons which tipped the scales in favour of Dharwad over cities such as Bengaluru, Mysuru and Raichur.

However, it may take anywhere between five to seven years to have a full-fledged IIT campus at Dharwad. Karnataka was the only south Indian State that did not have an IIT of its own, with IIT Madras, Hyderabad and the new one at Palakkad offering competition.

Dharwad Deputy Commissioner P. Rajendra Cholan said the district administration had suggested setting up the transit campus on the Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI) premises. The quarters of WALMI, which is not being used, could be repaired and converted into staff and student accommodation till the new full-fledged campus is ready, Mr. Cholan added.

However, the district administration is yet to receive an official communication on this. Once it is out, the State government will initiate the process of handing over land to the Union government, according to Mr. Cholan.

Next on the agenda would be the administration. According to The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961, the President of India is the Visitor. Each institute will have a board of governors and a Senate.

It is the director of the new IIT who will be crucial in deciding the course of the institute, said educationist T.V. Mohandas Pai. “Had the IIT been set up in Bengaluru or Mysuru, the faculty available could have been better. But from a development point of view, it is good that Dharwad has been chosen. What this IIT will do — whether it will specialise in some topic, for example — will depend on who is going to be the director,” he said.

Source: PTI

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