3-way tussle rages over ownership of iconic UVCE

Admissions to undergraduate engineering courses for the academic year 2019-20 are all set to begin but there is no end to the fight over the ownership of University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE), Bengaluru.

Now, the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) Belagavi too has joined the race and is demanding that the government add UVCE to the list of colleges affiliated to it. The Bangalore University (BU) and Bengaluru Central University (BCU) are already in line to gain control over the college, and the committee constituted by state higher education department to decide UVCE’s fate is convening its second meeting on Tuesday.

The committee, headed by former chief secretary S V Ranganath, has sent a communication to members of the committee about Tuesday’s meeting.

Meanwhile, BCU authorities have already sent a letter to the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) stating that this year’s admissions to UVCE should be given to BCU.

BCU vice-chancellor Prof S Japhet said, “It is notified in the gazette and the legal position is that UVCE belongs to BCU. We have already written to KEA informing that all admissions to UVCE should be under BCU from this year. We are yet to receive a reply from KEA.”

“It’s the act of the legislature and not just the college. Both college and property belong to BCU. If Bangalore University wants an engineering college, let them start a new one. I have submitted it before the committee and will present it at the upcoming meeting,” says Japhet.

Interestingly, BU has already uploaded UVCE’s seat matrix for consideration for 2019-20 admissions to KEA.

BU vice-chancellor Prof K R Venugopal says UVCE should remain with BU for the next fours years and should be given Unitary university status after that.

“UVCE belongs to BU, but I am not demanding that the government retain it with BU. I am demanding a Unitary university status under Rashtriya Uchatar Shiksha Abhiyan scheme,” said Venugopal.

“When the 50-year-old Maharani College is given Cluster University status, why can’t the 102-year-old UVCE, having student strength of 4,500 be given Unitary university status,” he questioned.

However, a senior professor of UVCE said, “According to the University Grants Commission norms, there is no provision for a new university to start an engineering college and BCU cannot get hold of UVCE.”

Meanwhile, UVCE faculty members convened a meeting on Friday to discuss the issue and a majority of teachers favoured staying with BU. The sources said, of the 93 faculties, five favoured going with BCU.

VTU vice-chancellor Prof Karisiddappa was not available for comments.