[Assam] IIT gears up for more seats (The Telegraph,29.05.2008)

[Buljit Buragohain]

          IIT gears up for more seats
    A STAFF REPORTER       May 28: The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, is on a massive construction drive to accommodate more students once reservation for the Other Backward Classes students is implemented. 
  A senior official said the requirements for the eleventh plan had already been worked out. By the end of the plan, the institute, which has 2,100 students now, will have 3,800 students. 
  The official said with more students, the faculty and staff strength would also increase. 
  The institute is planning more hostels, residences for faculty and staff and expansion of the academic complex for more laboratory and classroom space. The faculty strength now is 197, 21 more than last year. The current student-faculty ratio is 10:1. The non-faculty strength is 283, 30 more than last year. 
  The institute has already awarded a contract for the expansion of girls’ hostel from 172 to 400 rooms and expects 100 rooms to be ready by December. Work on its workshop building is also under way. With the institute’s focus on entrepreneurial activities, there are plans to develop the transit complex, where its activities began, into a space for entrepreneurial activities. 
  “This (transit complex) has been renamed as technology complex and a number of projects connected with entrepreneurs have started functioning,” the official said. 
  Space has been allotted to the Tata Consultancy Services for setting up a development centre with the hope that a lot of entrepreneurial activity in the IT sector will commence. 
  “The institute has also asked the state science and technology department to lease out space to them for establishing an incubation centre at the proposed Guwahati Biotech Park. The centre will boost activity in biotechnology. Hopefully, it will be moved out to a nearby area later,” the official said. 
  IIT authorities have already received feelers for setting up incubation centres as several government departments have schemes to fund such centres.
   
  http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080529/jsp/guwahati/story_9332640.jsp

   
  (The Telegraph,29.05.2008)



       
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