The Haryana government, which is keen to get Delhi?s Indian Institute of Technology?s (IIT) second campus in the state, may have to wait for some time before the Centre gives its nod to the project.
The idea of the country?s premier IIT having a satellite campus has been floated for some time and Haryana has been zeroed in because of its proximity to Delhi.
?IIT Delhi?s satellite campus is to be set up in Haryana and we hope to bring it at Rohtak,? Deepender Hooda, MP from Rohtak told FE.
A senior official from the premier institute said though a satellite campus is being considered, but Rohtak might be a little far. ?Our?s is a small campus and our activities are growing. The blueprint is on paper and no allocation has been made as yet. This is work in progress,? the official said.
The IIT has requested the ministry of human resource development (MHRD) for its consent and has received ?positive response?.
However, the ministry is not so enthusiastic about the expansion of IIT Delhi. According to a senior MHRD official, there is no formal proposal about the project and land is also not being offered free of cost.
?The state government is not welcoming the IIT with open arms. Moreover, if a financial element is involved, then we will have to take up the matter with the finance ministry also,? the official added. Incidentally, the IIT at Delhi is not the only one to spread its wings. In addition to its main campus, IIT Kharagpur has two extension campuses ? one in Kolkata and another in Bhubaneswar. The extension campuses provide venue for continuing education programmes and distance learning courses.
IIT Roorkee inaugurated its Greater Noida Campus in April this year and it also has another extension center in Saharanpur. In fact, IIT Kanpur is all set to join the big brigade of top educational institutions at Noida which will provide students with short-term management courses and refresher courses meant for distance learning.
