Odisha HRD

18 Writeup

• 1. Abhisek  |  February 22nd, 2011 at 12:58 pm

  Every one agress that Berhampur is a city with great potentials. But the question is, is the govt doing enough to promote this southern town of Orissa that can be a great asset to the state? So far the city hasn’t got a single centrally funded institution and hopefully the state govt will push for the IIIT @ Berhampur with all sincerity.

• 2. Chitta Baral  |  February 22nd, 2011 at 8:08 pm

  I am a little worried that the tathya article did not mention Berhampur or any location. SOSA should immediately remind the Odisha government its earlier commitment to have it in Berhampur.

• 3. Abhishek  |  February 22nd, 2011 at 10:14 pm

  I got news from somewhere that IIIT bhubaneswar is going to be upgraded to centrally funded IIIT.

• 4. Chitta Baral  |  February 23rd, 2011 at 4:12 am

  I don’t think that is the case. But to make sure that the new IIIT comes up in Berhampur (as promised earlier) SOSA and others need to take some steps immediately.

• 5. Purna Mishra  |  February 23rd, 2011 at 8:00 am

  We Odias never learn. Some of us screamed for a Central University in Koraput, and like the filaria patients we see in Puri district, the Central university has become a filaria institute. When the IIT Mumbai and Chennai do not get decent faculties, we somehow thought there would be a tsunami of qualified faculties for Koraput. Now we are making the same mistake asking for a mostly Central funded IIIT for Berhampur. The city has neither any positives to attract a decent faculty from anywhere in India other than probably from Aska or Buguda. You disagree look at IIIT Allahabad and compare it against IIIT Jabalpur. When the Government decided to go for one of the early IIIT, it did not decide to put the IIIT at Jaunpur.

  Odisha has a screwed up IT policy where you take Infosys out Bhubaneswar would not be qualified even as a Tier-VI IT city. All the government claims to build an IIIT Bhubaneswar has produced a pumpkin and the list of faculties are not something to be proud of.

  Odisha has a city that would attract top talents and it is Rourkela. The city is well connected with all the big cities. Most of the faculties are either from Bengal or South. Rourkela has BPUT and NIT that would encourage a good collaboration. It would be easier to attract ITeS companies to Rourkela over Berhampur any day.

  In our small crab mentality we ask everything for our backyard and do not think Odisha as a whole. Here we go again.

  Thanks,

  — Purna

• 6. Debi P Sarangi  |  February 23rd, 2011 at 11:22 am

  I think we are really confused. There is a necessity of establishing one good institute at Brahmapur. But as Purna rightly said that it may backfire as good faculties may not prefer to be based at Bhahmapur. Lets consider the condition of IIMC, Dhenkanal. Even the institute is not having a full time director. Had it been at Bhubaneswar, it might have done better as of now. But I think to start with something Brahmapur should have the new IIIT and we should lineup other similar institutes to have a environment which will be conducive for these kind or institutes to grow further.

  We need to nurture the good institutes and ensure their growth as well.

• 7. Siba Prasad  |  February 23rd, 2011 at 1:25 pm

  I am told that the SOSA is working quitely instead of making an issue out of it when the state government itself had decelared for a IIIT at Berhampur in the past. But, I think it is time they go public with their demand and impress the state govt again. The state government knows the cost of going back on such an issue which was promised in lieu of a prolonged agitation demaning a central Institute at Berhampur.
  As far as Purna babu’s observation is concerned, I agree that Berhampur is not as developed as Rourkela, but the reason is Berhampur is part of south orissa which is the most backward region of India. By the way, what is the difference between Berhampur and Vizag, except for the fat that Vizag has got lot many instititutes and greater state attention. I don’t understand when he says that Rourkela is well connected with all big cities. Even Berhampur, despite part of an underdeveloped pocket, has got regular trains to at least top 10 metros of India and the Vizag and Bhubaneswar airports are at a distance of 2-3 hours drive. Berhampur is a port city. It has got a good business community, good number of engineering colleges, STPI, University, Medical College. Do you think all these are sustained by people of Aska and Buguda? Yes, I can understand your mocking of these small towns and the capability of its people but we nonetheless are proud of these small towns and don’t look down upon them as you do.

  Recently, this site informed that the PM inaugurated a NID at Jorhat in Assam. Is Jorhat well developed and well connected? Is that Institute going to be sustained by people of that District alone? If Jorhat in Assam or Mandi in Himachal or Raybareli in UP or Bilaspur in Chatisgarh or Bakhtiyarpur in Bihar can host a National Institute, I don’t think why Berhampur in Orissa can’t?
  But, I have no doubt in my mind that Rourkela has all the potentials for another National Institute. I will not regret if the state Govt decides to have the IIIT in Rourkela. But, has Rourkela got what it desrved in the first place? Can anyone compare the infrastruture of the Technology University of AP and our own BPUT? Does the city not deserve a General University and a Medical College? So, Rourkela has such a long list of issues that I don’t I think people there will be as involved as with the case of IIIT Berhampur demand. While I don’t doubt Rourkela’s strengths, I wish more development happens in Rourkela.

• 8. Abhisek  |  February 23rd, 2011 at 3:08 pm

  We have 2 IIITs at Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur and hence it is logical and desirable that the 3rd IIIT is established in Berhampur. I think even at the level of the state government ther are no two views about it. Had this not been so 100 acres of land would not have been identified by the Ganjam District administration for the proposed Institute. Both the MLAs of Gopalpur and Berhampur would not have been claiming credit for the Institute. But, if there is any rethinking on the part of the state government it is unfortunate. Is it not the responsibility of the state government that deserving places like Berhampur get a central institute. For that matter,the IIIT is not a fully central Institute with the state Govt and a Pvt partner having a say. Given all this, I hope Berhampur will get its first central Insitute in terms of IIIT.

  I have nothing to say to those who doubt the potential of Berhampur, but let me just point out to them that the comparision of Berhampur with Jaunpur and Dhenkanal to drive his point is both illogical and tasteless.

• 9. d c patnaik  |  February 23rd, 2011 at 5:34 pm

  i support the demand to upgrade the existing IIIT bhubaneswar to centrally funded one. I dont think there is enouh space in IT to have two IIITs in Odisha. instead lets have one excellent institute

• 10. Purna Mishra  |  February 23rd, 2011 at 9:25 pm

  SIba Babu,

  It would have been more appropriate if you could have spent a little time looking at the faculties at IIT Mandi, institutes in Johat, etc. IIT Mandi could hardly get any faculty. People have left Central Universities in north Eastern States to work at Ravenshaw University. IIIT is the core around which India plans to develop IT dominance. No one disagrees Berhampur does not need key infrastructures to get developed. You or someone compare and ask what is the difference between Vizag and Berhampur. Andhra University was established there 100 years back. Vizag is better for business because of access to capital than any place in Odisha. next time you pass through Vizag look at the Waltair station with escalators, 10 platforms, etc etc and look at Bhubaneswar we still have those 4 1960s platforms.

  Our goal should be development of Odisha so Odisha and Odias can fight back. It is up to us if we think Odisha as a whole or our back yard is more important than Odisha.

  Just my 2 cents. i know with our leadership who have no strategic vision as we see that in IIIT Bhubaneswar, another golden opportunity will be squandered and IIIT with mostly Central funding will be assigned to Berhampur. No doubt we are destined to stay at the bottom. As our forefathers gave up arms to chant Hare krushna hare Ram bolo Nitai Goud Radheshyam, we should give up hope and vision, and cling to my back yard mentality as we used to fight in grade school that my mom was the most pretty and she cooks the best. We never grow.

  — Purna

• 11. Siba Prasad  |  February 23rd, 2011 at 11:46 pm

  Then why don’t we have all the Institutes in the four metros of India alone? If the people in the government, both at the centre and the state are not above the my backyard first policy, why do lesser mortals like me? Else, why 50% the railway projects go to Bengal and Bihar? Why do we scold our own MPs from orissa for not being of this mentality and forgeting their backyards when in power. It may sound irrational to you, but isn’t it how all small cities of India have got central Institutes.

• 12. Purna Mishra  |  February 23rd, 2011 at 11:54 pm

  Many of the readers with their limited vision of my back yard will disagree with me. Please do disagree with me but give good reasons why you disagree. Please review the faculty list of IIIT Delhi and IIIT Bhubaneswar. Where IIIT Delhi faculties got their Ph. Ds, of course in US and abroad, where IIIT Bhubaneswar faculties got,.many do not have Ph. Ds and if they have it is from Utkal University. I am sure you agree Utkal university is not a place where they talk of IT innovation. Now where the faculties of IIIT Berhampur will come from? Lord Jagannath give reasoning to people of Odisha so they could look beyond their back yard.

  — Purna

• 13. Odia Dude  |  February 24th, 2011 at 12:51 pm

  Purna babu,something is better than nothing. Forget faculties,IIIT Berhampur (or wherever it might be ) would certainly help improve economy of local communities. As a start IIIT Berhampur may not attract better faculties,but in the long run it would as people would start fleeing big cities in favour of smaller cities simply because they can not cope with pollution and lack of space. I would like to see educational institues or industries spread across length and breadth of Odisha ,not just concentrated in one place.

• 14. Abhisek  |  February 24th, 2011 at 12:53 pm

  It seems many people have suddenly woken up to the reality of quality faculty. But, why this yardstick for the establishment of IIIT only? Are we not weakening our case by doing so? Who will give a damn to Orissa when we demand Tribal University at Kandhamal next time?
  In contarst a state like Haryana is going to start the sanctioned IIM from Rohtak.
  Even in Orissa there was a groundwel among people and intellectualsl for establishment of the Central University at Koraput.
  Now some one wrote that people of Orissa are preferring Ravenshaw University over North Eastern Universities and coming back. That may be a fact, but that again shows that only people of Orissa are joining the Orissa Instititutes. Is Cuttack not well connceted? I did not get the point.
  Even in Hyderabad Central University, half of the faculty are from Telengana region, let alone AP. Does that prevent it from being one of the best Universities in India.

• 15. Debi P Sarangi  |  February 25th, 2011 at 11:54 am

  I think when IIT Kharagpur was started there was nothing at the place except some railway activity like Jatni. Secondly what was Rourkela when REC was established, nothing. So we need to understand the issues and address it properly. One good thing could be observed here is we are thinking on pan Odisha development which was not there earlier. Everybody please draw a midline.

  Vande Utkala Janani

• 16. Purna Mishra  |  February 25th, 2011 at 5:16 pm

  When IIT Kharagpur started there were no other IITs and same goes when RECs started there were few well funded Engineering colleges. Right now percentages wise IIT Kharagpur has fewer faculties against sanctioned posts than any other well established IITs. Chitta babu sent that list here a few days back. Compare IIT Mandi against IIT Indore and other newer IITs. Compare IIIT Bhubaneswar against IIIT Hyderabad or IIIT New Delhi (all state funded IIITs). Look at the map where IIIT Kanchipuram is getting her campus a mere 45 KM from Chennai downtown closer to Chennai than Kanchipuram.

  I have not seen any credible or thoughtful response on why IIIT with mostly central funding to be established at Berhampur? In addition to our our limited vision we have also limited reasoning to put forward why it should be in Berhampur?

  Also look at CU Koraput and look at the faculty list. That is what will happen to IIIT Berhampur. Orissa already made a wrong move with IIIT Bhubaneswar. Now another wrong move with a more and better funded IIIT to be set up in Orissa. It is unfortunate with narrow geographical mind set Rourkela has no support in Orissa.

  — Purna

• 17. preeti  |  February 28th, 2011 at 11:05 am

  Iam 100% agree with Mr. Purna Mishra . Only established good Institute in Romote area that does not means that the quality of Institute will go world class. I was member of sosa and I completed my post graduate from DU. Does any person attract a good faculity from any ranked Institute (For Location Berhampur,Sambalpur) . If it attracted then why Berhampur University,Sambalpur University far behind from ranked. You can compared NIT where it is going on ? There is lack of connectivity to Rourkela. But it is attracted world class faculty.
  But lack of interest of State govt. and bad politics by some particular person , Rourkela doed n’t rised as long as it ……..
  It is a silver metro city in Odisha But without shining.

• 18. Chitta Baral  |  February 28th, 2011 at 8:49 pm

  @preeti I think you may be confusing SOSA with DOSA. SOSA is South Odisha Student Association while DOSA is Delhi Oriya Student’s Association.