NIT campus by 2019

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG, JUNE 9: National Institute of Technology (NIT), Meghalaya newly appointed Director Prof Bibhuti Bhusan Biswal today said permanent campus of the Institute at Sohra is likely to be completed by July 2019.

“We shall be able to shift to the permanent campus at Sohra by July 2019,” Prof Biswal told reporters on Friday.

The NIT, Meghalaya was established in 2010 as one of the 30 NITs in the country and it was an “Institute of National Importance” under the NIT Act, 2007 (as amended in 2012) of the Parliament.

The Institute started its academic activities with nine departments in engineering, sciences and humanitarian in July, 2012 from its temporary campus located in the Bijini Complex, Laitumkhrah, Shillong.

He said that they wanted to shift along with some provisions to ensure the campus is equipped with a mini township which will include market, schools, banks and others.

According to him, out of total project cost of around Rs 800 crore, the amount spend so far was Rs 170 crore.

Stating that the institute is committed to make Meghalaya as a preferred destination for technical education and research, he said, “We want to become a catalyst for promoting the culture of technical education.”

In order to achieve this, Prof Biswal said they would create awareness on the importance of technical education among the students of schools and colleges in the state.

He informed that the institute would also soon introduce new departments which include agriculture food processed engineering, mining engineering, chemical engineering, and geological sciences.

Stating that the government has set a target for enrolling 1260 students by 2020-21, Prof Biswal however said that they would like to achieve beyond that by removing social and psychological barriers.

“In view of this, we are developing the infrastructures that can be attractive to people from other states,” he said.

At present, a total of 850 students have enrolled by the institute.

Apart from this, the director also said that the institute would also open centre for Tribal studies and skill development centre for the young and unemployed people.

He said that the state is full of people with tribal status and there is a government policy for providing them with the best of things adding the institute also aims at promoting the culture of entrepreneurship among the students.

According to him, the skill development centre will be for people who cannot afford for higher education.