We will review the status and thinking of other colleges in IIEST race, as it has a bearing on our status also.
There is no update on IIEST front, except that Andhra govt. is willing to accept IIEST status for both the colleges, as stated in Chronicle Jan 2007 issue. This is because it will receive a new IIT.
Kerala govt. is also thinking on the same line as it will not get satellite campus in the state. This is based on a recent decision by HRD ministry to shelve the idea of satellite campuses of IITs at Ahmedabad (by IIT-B), at Trivandrum (by IIT-M) and at Bhubaneswar (by IIT-KGP). According an insider, the ministry blasted IIT directors during meeting in Dec last year for signing MoU with state govts. without prior approval. This is because central govt. does not want to give undue political advantage to state govts. in coming assembly elections, as Gujarat and Orissa states are ruled by opposition parties. Now Kerala govt. is scrambling to get other national institutes in the state, such as IIEST, IISER, etc.
The case of West Bengal govt. is different. There the state govt. is not interested in giving up its hold on Bengal Engineering College and also claims that its own state sponsored entrance exam (WB-JEE) is equivalent to IIT-JEE and is administered on all-India basis. . It gave the example of Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, which is an INI, but jointly controlled by state and central govts.
Unable to accept such proposal from state govt., the HRD ministry has put the IIEST conversion issue on hold. To sweeten the offer, it has offered to increase the one-time grant to each IIEST, from present Rs. 300-350 crores to about Rs. 500 crores for upgrade. This is based on the calculation that each of the 3 new IITs (coming up in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan) will cost Rs. 2,500 crores each (although ultimately the cost is likely to be around Rs, 3,000-4,000 crores each); and that each existing five colleges (due for IIEST upgrade) has assets and existing infrastructure worth Rs. 1,500-2,000 crores each. The different of Rs. 500 crores between a new IIT and existing IIEST college is the additional cost for upgrade.
Also, with the retirement of HRD Secretary for Higher Education, Mr. Sudeep Banerjee last October, no one is taking more interest in IIEST/INI conversion issue.
Mean while, the faculty and students of Bengal Engineering College (also known as BESUS) has threatened to go on indefinite strike over HRD Ministrys delay in granting IIEST/INI status to the college. The college is most vocal (among 5 colleges) in demanding an IIEST status.
Apart from their own press release the BEC alumni website contains articles related to IIEST conversion published in newspapers.
Excerpts from the press release by BESUS (Bengal Engineering and Science University, Sibpur)
PRESS RELEASE
ON THE ISSUE OF UPGRADATION OF BESUS TO INI STATUS
The movement of BESUTA, since 2002, for transformation of BESUS to IIEST/INI has come to a crossroad. BESUTA has left no stone unturned in persuading this cause. We went on appealing to all the Ministers of West Bengal, to all the Members of Parliament from West Bengal. BESUTA went on seeking appointments starting from the Chief Minister, State ministers like Minister-in-Charge of Higher Education, Union ministers like Minister-in-Charge of Human Resource Development, Minister-in-Charge of Foreign Affairs, Governor of the State to the Prime Minister on this issue. So far BESUTA got only two appointments one with the Education Minister on 16th October 2006 and the other with the Governor of West Bengal on 9th January 2007. The Education minister welcomed the idea but with his riders stating that he would rather go for hard bargaining in the first place. We only emphasized the transformation of BESUS.
Now to our utter dismay we apprehend that the issue is going to be shelved. The apparent reason is not very easy to find out. It could be the one or more riders! It could be the change in the policy of the Central Government under political pressure! In his letter to Mr. P.R. Das Munsi, MIC - Parliamentary affairs and Broadcasting, Mr. Arjun Singh, MIC - Human Resource Development wrote "The Government of India would like the seven Institutes to strive for a national identity which includes admissions at the national level, Governance Structure similar to that of IITs, Curriculum reform and stress on postgraduate education and research. Central Government is not presently contemplating taking over the seven selected institutions through an act of Parliament." Does he contradict that BESUS is all set for achieving IIEST/INI status as credited in the Anadakrishnan Committee report? Or is he acting under some other compulsion.
Disclaimer- The above views are my personal views, and do not reflect that of our institute. Yogesh Upadhyaya (chemical 1977)