Sambalpur: Former BJD minister Rohit Pujari has urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to upgrade Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) at Burla to an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and declare Sambalpur University (Jyoti Vihar) as central university.
Dharmendra is also the Sambalpur MP.
While requesting him to upgrade VSSUT on the lines of Roorkee and BHU, the BJD leader said it has all the necessary infrastructure facilities, including 300 acre of land, buildings and renowned faculty members. “VSSUT is the only university which was formed under the Orissa Act 9 of 2009 by converting University College of Engineering, Burla to a non-affiliating unitary university. The university is empowered to award degrees as specified by the UGC under section 22 of the UGC Act. It has also been declared eligible to receive central assistance under section 12B of the UGC Act in 2012.”
The state got its first engineering college, UCE-Burla, in 1956 and it has been functioning a state unitary technical university named as VSSUT Burla since 2009.
He further stated that the university provides its students modern educational facilities while retaining traditional values and using its strong industrial contacts to mould young, talented individuals who can compete in the global arena. “IIM-Sambalpur has been already established here. If VSSUT is upgraded to an IIT in line with Roorkee and BHU, Sambalpur would be considered as an important educational hub. I request you to kindly consider the request to upgrade VSSUT to an IIT for greater interests of students,” he added.
In 2022, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, during his tenure as Bargarh MP, had demanded for converting VSSUT to a centrally-funded technical institute (CFTI) in line with the Central Institute of Technology, Kokrajhar in Assam, in Parliament. Dharmendra, during his tenure as Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, had also recommended a letter of the then vice-chancellor of VSSUT E Saibaba Reddy to the Union Education Minister to convert it to an IIT.
The previous Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government in the state had also approved a Rs 2,000 crore plan to transform VSSUT into a centre of excellence for technical education by 2026. It was to be developed as a Multi-Disciplinary Engineering and Research University by 2030 on the line of premier engineering institutions of the country like IIT and NIT, and would have included seven schools like School of Engineering, Skill Development Centre, School of Medical Technology and School of Basic Science.
CENTRAL VARSITY STATUS FOR JYOTI VIHAR
Pujari wrote that Jyoti Vihar is the first university in western Odisha as well as one the oldest in the state. “Although the University Act was passed by OLA on December 10, 1966, to fulfil long cherished dream of the people of western Odisha, the university started functioning from January 1, 1967,” he said.
The BJD leader further stated that the university has the required infrastructural facilities like land, building, faculty, and also NAAC ‘A’ Accreditation. “Many of its alumni have already been placed in higher posts in the state, national and international levels,” he said, giving examples of Shriballav Panigrahi, Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra, Gadadhar Mishra, Amaresh Mishra, Bhakta Charan Das.
“I am also given to understand that the students from Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh State are getting admission for doing their research work. The faculty of this university have also their own research projects which are praised at national and international levels. As IIM, Sambalpur is established here, if the Sambalpur University is up-graded to Central University, I hope Sambalpur could be considered as the most vital educational hub,” he added.