Should the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) proposed for Karnataka be set up in Bengaluru or Raichur? Or somewhere else in north Karnataka? While there appears to be a big debate over the location of the IIT mentioned in the Union Budget, over 1,057 acres of land notified for an IIT in Hassan district is attracting little attention.
This land was notified by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board during the JD(S)–BJP regime in the State in 2007. In fact, a couple of weeks before the Union government presented its budget, the former Prime Minister and Lok Sabha member of Hassan, H.D. Deve Gowda, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and appealed to set up an IIT in the district.
“The land acquired for the institute is close to the Bengaluru–Mangaluru highway. Also, the proposed Bengaluru–Hassan railway work is on. Hassan is the suitable place, considering the connectivity,” said S.R. Tyagaraja, an engineering student.
However, there are demands to set up the IIT in other districts, including Raichur. Although the BJP was part of the government when Hassan was recommended, it changed its mind when it came to power independently. During the BJP regime, the State government suggested Raichur as the right place for the institute, with a view to address the regional imbalance.
