IIT-Jammu’s transit campus awaits completion

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 16

At a time when the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) established in other states across the country are being strengthened with the introduction of new courses or appointment of subject experts, IIT Jammu, which was inaugurated on August 6 last year, is struggling to have even a transit campus.

Sources said the prestigious institute, which is running its academic affairs from a temporary campus being set up at KCS College, Paloura, in the winter capital, is unlikely to start the academic session 2017-18 from its 25-acre transit campus which is under construction near the actual site of its permanent campus at Jagti village in Nagrota on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.

Keeping in mind the present status of the ongoing construction work of the transit campus at Jagti, it will take another seven to eight months to complete the project, the sources said.

“The present strength of 90 students is likely to be increased to 120 in IIT Jammu in August or September this year but the problem is of accommodation as the present temporary campus lacks space for additional students. Further, a delay in the appointment of permanent faculty has also made things worse. IIT Delhi is the mentor institute for IIT Jammu as the latter has been following the curriculum of IIT Delhi,” a source said.

It was only a few days back that the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) had advertised for the post of director and other academic positions. The departments for which the posts were advertised include computer science and engineering, chemistry, civil engineering, electrical engineering (including electronics and telecommunication), humanities and social sciences, mathematics, mechanical engineering and physics,” the source added.

Prof SK Koul, professor in charge, IIT Jammu, said, “Yes, the present strength of 90 students will be increased to 120 students from August 2017. As far as the completion of construction of the transit campus is concerned, it will take some more time.”

When asked about the deadline for completion of the permanent campus, Prof Koul said, “Right now, our focus is on completion of the transit campus while the construction of the permanent campus at Jagti village will take some years to complete.”

In reply to another question regarding admission of students from J&K in the prestigious institute, he said out of total 90 students, two to three students belonged to Jammu & Kashmir.