IIT-Dharwad inauguration deferred

 The inauguration of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dharwad, scheduled for July 31, has been postponed indefinitely due to the unprecedented developments taking place in Dharwad district following the rejection of Karnataka’s interim plea by the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal.

The first semester programme is identical to the one followed in IIT Bombay. It is also said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is away in Belgium to visit his ailing son, had asked the Union Human Resource Development Ministry to defer the inauguration as he would not be able to take part in the event on July 31. Accordingly, the Centre deferred the inauguration programme. However, the classes will begin on August 1 as scheduled earlier.

The IIT Bombay which is the mentor IIT for the IIT-Dharwad had scheduled the inauguration for July 31. Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was to inaugurate the transit campus at WALMI building on PB Road near Mummigatti. Siddaramaiah was to preside over the event.

As many as 120 students have been admitted to IIT-D of which five are from Karnataka. These students have taken part in the centralised admission process and would be attending the classes on August 1. The students have already arrived in Dharwad and have been alloted the IIT hostels.

IIT Bombay in-charge director Prof Shivaprasad said that to start with, professors from IIT Bombay will be deputed to teach at the new institute for the first and second semesters of BTech courses in computer science, mechanical, and electronics streams. As many as 40 students have been admitted for each course. A total of eight faculty would be deputed and Prof N Punekar has been appointed as IIT-D dean. The first semester programme is identical to the one followed in IIT Bombay.