Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

No headway yet on Basar IIT proposal

By K. Venkateshwarlu

HYDERABAD MAY 10. Two years after the State Government took it up with the Centre and over a year after the Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution, the proposal to set up the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), near the Saraswathi temple at Basar in Adilabad district, continues to be in a limbo.

Well-meaning academicians, led by C. Ramaiah, eminent teacher who trains students for IIT entrance examination and the moving spirit behind the campaign for IIT at Basar, are a sad lot. They wonder why Delhi is silent over the proposal when the State Government is willing to provide all infrastructural facilities there. Anguished at the Centre's delay, Dr. Ramaiah says there is immense potential for another IIT in South India.

The Government has been aggressively pushing the idea, with the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, taking a personal lead. He had written to the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, and spoken to the Union Minister for Human Resources Development, Murli Manohar Joshi. The latter informed Mr. Naidu that setting up a new IIT involved an investment of Rs. 600 crores to Rs. 700 crores and as and when a decision was taken, Basar would receive consideration. Dr. Joshi sought to link the issue to the upgradation of the Regional Engineering College at Warangal as NIT (National Institute of Technology). Continuing its efforts, the Government recently sent the Minister for Technical Education, N. Anjaneyulu, to Delhi to invite Dr. Joshi to Basar. He was accompanied by S. Venugopala Chary, Telugu Desam MP, who submitted a memorandum signed by all the MPs from the State. The delegation impressed upon the Union Minister the need for setting up the IIT in Andhra Pradesh.

Mounting pressure on the Centre, the Assembly adopted a resolution unanimously on February 20, 2002, requesting it to set up an IIT at Basar `immediately.' Moving the resolution, Mr. Naidu said apart from providing infrastructural and other support, he was prepared to lead an all-party delegation to Delhi.

According to Dr. Ramaiah, every year about 2,00,000 students appeared for the IIT entrance test. Of them, 80,000 were from the four Southern states and half of them from Andhra Pradesh, a good lot of them getting admission. Yet, there was only one IIT at Chennai for the entire South India. It was also argued that centres of excellence like IIT could promote quality education and turn out real professionals, the cutting edge for any developing country.

It was not just the Saraswathi temple, one of the only two in the country, that merits location of an IIT at Basar. The place is in a backward district in much neglected Telangana. Location of such an institution would give impetus to development of the area, rich in mineral wealth. Students of the region would also get all-India exposure, raising their academic horizon. Then there is no all-India institute in Andhra Pradesh which could inspire and monitor the standards of the 207 engineering colleges in the State. Is the Centre reluctant because of the hefty financial involvement ? "It cannot be the reason,'' Dr. Ramaiah says, pointing to the contribution assured by the group of IITians in California, US, who hailed from Andhra Pradesh, and the support promised by the Telugus Association of North America (TANA).

There are several advantages of setting up a new IIT with specialisation in life sciences in Andhra Pradesh. The thrust area should be biotechnology, a sector, expected to expand to Rs. 20,000 crores to Rs. 25,000 crores by 2010 in India. Andhra Pradesh was ideally suited for such an institute as a number of research institutions, especially in life sciences, abound Hyderabad. A 100-acre biotechonology park has been set up near Hyderabad where six corporate giants have already taken plots. About 30 per cent of the pharmaceutical units are located in Hyderabad, including globally known company like Dr. Reddy's Laboratories.

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