HRD team visits proposed IIT site

PATNA: The proposal to set up an IIT in the state moved on step ahead on Friday when a five-member team of Union human resource development (HRD) department visited Bihta, the proposed site located around 25 kms from here, where the first IIT of the state is likely to come up. Headed by HRD joint secretary Ravi Mathur, the team, comprising chairman, AICTE, Delhi, R A Yadav, ex-director, IIT, Roorki, D B Singh, director, IIIT, Jabalpur, Sanjeev Bhargav, and director, IIT, Kanpur, S C Dhandh, would submit its report on the basis of which the Union government would give signal for setting up the said institute. "There are certain parameters related to social and physical infrastructure on the basis of which the final approval of any site is given. We have sought all these details from the state government for early submission of the report to the Union government," said Mathur while talking to mediapersons after visiting the site. Accompanied by other team members, minister of state for science and technology (S&T) Anil Kumar and department secretary Ajay Kumar, Mathur dwelt upon the various aspects that goes into the setting up of an IIT. He, however, did not come up with any specific time-frame for setting up the proposed IIT centre in Bihar. Speaking on the occasion, the S&T minister reiterated the state government’s resolve to extend all possible co-operation to the Union government for setting up the proposed IIT. “Our vision is very clear on this front,” he said. Giving details about the home work done so far by the state government, Kumar said land acquisition for the said institute was in the final stages. "Out of 130-odd farmers, whose land would be acquired for procuring 500 acre of land for the institute, more than 95 per cent have expressed willingness to give land," Kumar said. He also said Bihta met all the parameters that went into the selection of any place for setting up an IIT. It may be recalled that there are seven IITs in the country at present and the Union government intends to open three more IITs with one each located in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. The HRD team that visited Bihar had already visited Andhra Pradesh and is now scheduled to pay a visit to Rajasthan.