Dream realised: Karnataka's own IIT opens at Dharwad

120 students attend orientation programme; classes from today

August 1, 2016, will be a red-letter day for Karnataka as the state’s first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) opened here on Monday.

The prestigious institute, housed in a transit campus at Mummigatti on the outskirts of Dharwad, was to be inaugurated on July 31, but the ceremony was postponed indefinitely over the ongoing protests over Mahadayi and the unavailability of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Nonetheless, the academic year has begun.

A total of 120 students have enrolled into the IIT and they will stay in the hostel on the transit campus for three years until the institute’s permanent campus comes up on 470 acres of land at Kelgeri-Mummigatti nearby.

Students, who had come from different parts of the country, were anxious to enter the campus on the first day while their parents were busy going through the newly created facilities. The faculty of IIT-Bombay, which is the mentor for IIT-D, welcomed the freshers by offering them the famous Dharwad Pedha.

The academic year began with an orientation programme and students were educated on the geographical and historical importance of Dharwad district, and the objective of establishing the pre0stigious institute in this part of the country. This was followed by the ice-breaking session. Regular classes will begin on Tuesday.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, IIT-Bombay Professor Narayan Punekar, who has been appointed Dean (administration) of IIT-D, said that all the 120 students attended the orientation class. Out of 120 students, seven are girls and 10 are from Karnataka.

Student hostels have been built and a full-fledged mess has also been set up. Students will get breakfast, lunch and dinner besides tea/coffee twice a day. The syllabus and the classes will be identical to IIT-Bombay.

This year, computer science, electronics and mechanical engineering courses are being conducted. Theory classes will run from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and practical classes after lunch. Seven faculty members from IIT-Bombay will teach in Dharwad while other teaching staff will take classes once a month. Accommodation for the faculty has been set up at Kalyan Nagar 9th Cross where an apartment block with seven flats has been rented for five years, Prof Punekar said.