IIM likely to come up in Visakhapatnam

VISAKHAPATNAM: Even as Vizagites are planning to bring pressure on the government to accord Central University status to Andhra University, the thinking at the Centre seems to be in favour of setting up an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Visakhapanam.

Though no concrete decision has been taken in this regard, sources said that feelers to this effect were sent by the Union government to the authorities concerned in the state.

But academicians fear that any such decision would only make matters worse for the 88-year-old university which has been facing a deficit of over `40 crore per year for the last two financial years. As against the budget estimated budget of `367 crore this year, the university is estimated to face a deficit of 1`118 crore during 2014-15.

Ever since the limits of Andhra University have been reduced by setting up two new universities at Srikakulam and Kakinada, the number of its affiliate colleges has come down, causing a severe revenue loss. Besides, funds from neither the Union government nor the state government were released promptly.

'If this was the situation in the united Andhra Pradesh, we fear that it could only get worse considering that the government would be busy creating the new capital and other infrastructural facilities rather than funding Andhra University,' said a senior faculty member at the university.

Though the demand for upgrading Andhra University as central university has been pending for long, the state bifurcation has flamed the long-cherished demand and the university authorities have sent a report to the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development seeking the same, a couple of weeks before the election code came into force.

A delegation of Andhra University authorities including faculty plan to meet the Union Ministry of HRD officials and also N Chandrababu Naidu soon after his swearing-in as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.

If the Centre refuses to upgrade Andhra University, the officials want to push a proposal for upgrading the Andhra University Engineering College into an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) or at least a National Institute of Technology (NIT).

When contacted, Andhra University vice-chancellor GSN Raju denied any knowledge of the Union government's plans to set up an IIM instead of upgrading Andhra University into a central university.

'It is too early to take any step over upgrading Andhra University. We have submitted our report but the government is yet to respond. We will press for upgrading the university once everyone settles in their offices.

We want all educational institutions promised to Andhra Pradesh as per the Reorganisation Act, to be established in Vizag,' he said.