Karnataka: Visvesvaraya Technological University will be bifurcated and a new Technical university will be established in Hassan announced HD Kumaraswamy.
He said, “The State government has proposed to improve technical education in the State. At present, the administrative, academic and student-related issues of all the engineering colleges in Karnataka are centralised in VTU, Belagavi. Therefore, keeping the interest of students and also the geographical basis in mind, engineering colleges will be redistributed and a new technological university will be established at Hassan.”
Over 190 colleges are currently affiliated to VTU and about 50 per cent of these colleges are located in the Bengaluru region, BM reports.
Hassan region has been identified as a spot for the establishment of new university, however, no funds has been allocated so far for this bifurcation.
Professor Balaveera Reddy, the founding vice-chancellor of VTU, said, “It was not necessary to divide and set up a new university. Already, a place in Muddenahalli in Chikkaballapura is developed by VTU and is not being utilised yet. The government could have transformed that centre.”
MLC Arun Shahpur too opposed the government’s move. He said: “The government has not focused on teacher issues and school issues which have been long pending. VTU already has many regional centres but this is unnecessary.”