Decks cleared for IIT-D campus in Haryana

Decks cleared for IIT-D campus in Haryana

TNN Sep 15, 2011, 03.14AM IST
NEW DELHI: The proposal to set up a second campus of IIT-Delhi in Haryana was cleared by the IIT council on Wednesday. The proposed 'Extension Centre', spread across 100-acre, would have advanced research facilities. Haryana offered to provide land free of cost for this project. Sources said the centre could come up in Bahadurgarh or its adjoining areas so that it remains close to the capital.

Though there were reports of the state being keen to take the centre to Rohtak, it has not found favour since the city is far away from the national capital. "We are assessing where such a chunk can be easily acquired for the institute," said a senior official of the Haryana government.
Surendra Prasad, director, IIT-Delhi, said, "We were just waiting for the IIT council to approve the second campus before we could zero in on any location. Since the council has now given a go-ahead, we will start working on finalizing a good location."
Established in 1961, the IIT-Delhi campus in Hauz Khas has the smallest area - 320 acre - as compared to other IITs. A second campus was in the offing for the last many years and even Greater Noida was once being considered as an ideal place.Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, who attended the meeting, said setting up of IIT Extension Centre would set new benchmark in the development of educational infrastructure in the state. Haryana recently got institutions like Indian Institute of Management, a central university, a National Defence University and Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology. The state has 21 universities and about 1,286 institutions of higher education