Set up IIT in twin cities: Bommai
Newindpress.com
Friday August 25 2006 14:33 IST
HUBLI: S R Bommai, former Union minister for Human Resource Development, recommended for the Centre to establish the proposed new Indian Institute of Technology in south India, in Hubli-Dharwad, for which 300 acres of land is already earmarked.
In a letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a copy of which was released to the press here on Thursday, Bommai welcomed the decision of the Union Government to establish new IITs and IIMs to ‘prepare the country to meet the challenges in the field of knowledge.’
Bommai said the UR Rao Committee had recommended that the IIT in south India should be set up in Hubli-Dharwad. He said, “Now it seems that the PMO was trying to locate IIT somewhere near Bangalore, an area that was already highly congested with no more place for tranquility, essential for such centres.”
Bommai, as HRD minister in 1996, had set up an expert committee to go into the establishment of new IITs under the leadership of Prof U R Rao, a renowned scientist. The report was duly submitted in 1998 to the HRD ministry.
The Rao Committee had recommended IITs in north, north-east and southern India. It had categorically earmarked the twin cities for the new IIT in south India.
Stressing the need to open the new IIT in Hubli-Dharwad, he said the pleasant climatic conditions, strategic geographical position, readily available manpower and several excellent professional educational institutes, were in favour of the twin cities.
