CM gives nod to engineering college in Kalahandi

The Pioneer, Dec 22, 2008
Pioneer News Service | Bhubaneswar

Finally, the KBK region will have a Government-sponsored engineering college, which will be established at Bhawanipatna, the district headquarters town of Kalahandi. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has given the green signal to this effect.

The Industries Department has moved the files so that the institution receives approval of the AICTE. The authorities are planning to enroll students for the session of 2009-10 in four streams after the AICTE’s approval is available.

The Kalahandi Collector has been asked to locate 30 acres of land near Bhawanipatna. At least 10 acres of land is required for an engineering college, but keeping its future expansion in mind, the Government has asked the Collector to do the needful.

The Chief Minister has asked the Finance Department to provide Rs 4 crore for the college from the Orissa Contingency Fund (OCF). Recently, the OCF has been allowed to enlarge its kitty to Rs 400 crore.

The State now has 63 engineering colleges, mostly private, including two in the KBK area. As many as 34 of these colleges are located in Khurda district that includes the capital city of Bhubaneswar.

There are no Government engineering colleges in KBK. The Kalahandi college will be a constituent of the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT).