Demand for IIT in Raichur getting stronger

March 07, 2015 05:34 pm | Updated 05:34 pm IST - RAICHUR

At a time when voices for demanding Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) began float from different cities of the State after the Union budget granted approval, the demand for setting up the premier institute in Raichur is getting stronger.

Responding to the call given by Taranath Shikshana Samsthe chairman Parasmal Sukhani, members of major political parties, civil society organisations, elected representatives, and educational institutions and other prominent individuals gathered at SSRG Women's College on Saturday and unanimously resolved to collectively put pressure on the State government over the issue.

In order to project Raichur as an ideal place for establishment of IIT, it was decided to mount pressure with six major points.

First, the organisation highlighted the backwardness of the district - as quantified in the High-Power Committee for Redressal of Regional Imbalances in Karnataka led by D.M. Nanjundappa. IIT in Raichur is a tool to fight backwardness.

Secondly, air-connectivity: Hyderabad International Airport, which is a two-and-a-half hour drive from the city through a national highway, and rail connectivity to New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru positions the district well, they argued.

Thirdly, with the Krishna and Tungabhadra in close proximity, water will not be an issue for the institute.

Fourth, with abundant land available, issues of legally-complicated or expensive land acquisition will not prop up in the district. Fifth, the previous UPA regime had vouched for setting up an IIT in the district, as had the Jagadish Shettar-led State government in 2012.

“Bengaluru has reached a saturation point and that makes Raichur a natural choice. The city has historically known for harmony with the peaceful coexistence of different communities, which is a conducive environment for institutions like IIT,” said former Rajya Sabha member Abdus Samad Siddiqui.

MLC N.S. Boseraju said that former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar of BJP were making an all-out effort to grab the institution for their respective places, i.e. Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Dharwad.

“The Union government's expert committee will choose from the places recommended by the State government for IIT. State BJP leaders have hence greater responsibility to ensure that the committee selects Raichur,” he said

IIT Horata Samiti president Basavaraj Kalasa proposed to ensure that State government would recommend only Raichur, giving no space for the Union government to select one site among several. Raichur MLA Dr. Shivaraj Patil pressed the need of mass mobilisation for mounting pressure on the State government.

Raichur in-charge Minister Sharan Prakash Patil was conspicuous by his absence though he was in the city. However, he assured the delegation that met him later that he would put honest efforts to bring the institution to Raichur.

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