The Hindu : Front Page : IT institute may come up in Chennai

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

IT institute may come up in Chennai

K. Ramachandran

Project to focus on design and manufacture

CHENNAI: An Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), originally proposed to come up near Kancheepuram, is likely to be set up on the information technology corridor in Chennai.

The Union Human Resources Development Ministry is planning to invest close to Rs.100 crore on this new education/training facility for which it is scouting for land.

A proposal to hand over at least 25 acres of government land on Old Mahabalipuram Road for setting up the IIIT may soon be placed before the State Government or the State Cabinet, say official sources.

Unlike the other IIITs, the Chennai-based institute will focus on design and manufacture, an area in which India is lagging behind.

The IIIT-Design and Manufacturing is one of the two such institutions proposed by the MHRD. The other one was started at Jabalpur.

The institute will have an intake of about 600 students at the undergraduate level.

The expertise of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras will be utilised in developing the curriculum for engineering design at the undergraduate level.

Earlier proposal

According to officials involved in the project, the Union HRD Ministry constituted an experts committee under Sanjay G. Dhande, director of the IIT-Kanpur. In December 2002, it had proposed creating a high-end institution for academic research and programmes in the emerging areas of higher science and technology. The government had talked of creating the IIIT in Kancheepuram and about 25 acres with a half finished building, all belonging to the Kanchi Sankara Mutt, was identified. But the project did not go beyond the drawing board following the change of government at the Centre and events at the Sankara Mutt. Recently, the Union HRD Ministry revived the proposal and it was decided to approach the State Government for land.

Usha Titus, Registrar, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras and officer on special duty for the IIIT project, says India does not have much to show in terms of original and international class design, except in automobile design and manufacture. The IIIT-D & M now proposed is likely to address this issue.

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