Sunday, December 28, 2008

Double bonanza: Kalahandi to get 2 professional colleges

The Pioneer, 28th December, 2008

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has decided to assuage the hurt feelings of the people of Kalahandi by announcing two professional colleges in the district. Chairing a high-level meeting here on Saturday, he announced to set up an engineering college and an agriculture college at Bhawanipatna, the district headquarters town. People of Kalahandi were hurt due to the earlier decision to set up a Central University in Koraput instead at Kalahandi. Sensing the popular demand for more educational facilities in Kalahandi, Patnaik decided to establish the two professional colleges at Bhawanipatna. Funds for the two institutions will be made available from the Special Problem Fund (SPF). Both the colleges will be provided Rs 5 crore each to undertake preliminary works. The engineering college would have 240 seats, while the agriculture college would accommodate 48 students, revealed an official. While there are 63 engineering colleges in the State, the new agriculture college would be the third one, said he. Two agriculture colleges exist at Bhubaneswar and Chiplima (Sambalpur district). The College of Agriculture, Bhawanipatna will be under the Orissa University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT). The Government Engineering College, Bhawanipatna will be a constituent of the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT). The Chief Minister directed Industries Secretary Ashok Dalwai to file an application to the AICTE for the engineering college before December 31 so that the new institution is able to enroll students from the education year 2009-10. Dalwai informed the meeting that he has already initiated the legwork for the new institution. Patnaik also asked Director of Agriculture Arabinda Padhee to take up the matter of facilitating students’ enrolment in the agriculture college in 2009-10 with the OUAT Vice-Chancellor. Development Commissioner Tarun Kanti Mishra will coordinate the land alienation and construction works in a faster manner.

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