Indian Institute of Management-Tiruchirapalli (IIM-T) conducted its first convocation ceremony in a grand manner in a temporary air-conditioned hall on the permanent campus site, exactly at the spot where the then Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal laid the foundation stone two years ago.
The ceremony went off well with the chief guest Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairperson of Aditya Birla Group, delivering the convocation address in the presence of the Chairman of the IIM-T Board of Governors M. Damodaran, and the institute Director Prafulla Agnihotri. But, top-level officials of the National Institute of Technology – Tiruchi (NIT-T) where the IIM-T has been functioning for the last two years, were disappointed since its supportive role was not acknowledged by Prof. Agnihotri, in his report as a matter of courtesy although the NIT-T was represented at the function by its Registrar G. Swaminathan.
According to an NIT-T source, the administration had readily accommodated the IIM-T on the campus, and has been responsive to the requirements as a respectful host all along, be it in providing amenities or sharing infrastructure, explaining the reason for their disappointment.
The source said the NIT-T had so far not received the rent from the IIM-T as per the norms of the Central Public Works Department. NIT-T would, nevertheless, continue to host the IIM-T with an accommodative spirit for at least one more year.
Prof. Agnihotri said he had missed mentioning NIT-T’s support since he had to cut short his speech for want of time. “The programme was running 15 minutes behind schedule. It was an error of omission,” he said.
