300 students, alumni protest shifting of UVCE Bengaluru campus

BENGALURU: Students and alumni of Bengaluru’s iconic University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (

UVCE

), the fifth oldest engineering college of India, came together on Thursday to protest the government’s move to shift the institution from KR Circle to Jnana Bharathi (JB) campus.

Over 300 students and alumni gathered at the college campus, under the aegis of

All India Save Education Committee

and

All India Democratic Student Organization

, demanding the government reconsider its decision and the CM intervene.

The institution is in its centenary year and has 3,500 students on its rolls. Established in 1917 by M Visvesvaraya, UVCE has produced many engineers over the years. Alumni working in foreign countries have launched an online protest — #SaveUVCE — to counter the move.

Eminent individuals like Roddam Narsimha, K Chidananda Gowda, former vice-chancellor of Kuvempu University, N Prabhudeva, former vice-chancellor of

Bangalore University

, members of

UVCE alumni association

and various forums of the university were part of the two-hour protest.

“UVCE has entered its 100th year and it is a moment of joy for us. Unfortunately, the government is talking of shifting the college. This place has historical significance and many generations have fond memories of this campus. What UVCE needs is renovation, improved infrastructure and extension, not shifting,” said Roddam Narsimha, 84, who graduated from the college in 1953.

N Prabhudeva, former BU vice-chancellor, spoke about the various attempts to renovate UVCE. “We proposed to create a multi-storey building at the same place, add other departments and upgrade labs. Later, the college alumni and BU approached the then PM Manmohan Singh to upgrade UVCE and treat the institution on a par with IIT. But then the government changed and the project couldn’t be pursued.”

To mark its 100th year, Rs 25 crore was earmarked in the state budget for the institute’s renovation. But the government now wants to use the money to shift the university to JB campus.

UVCE alumni association president Vasudeva Murthy sought the principal’s support: “He is aware of the problems. Classrooms are in such a state that you cannot sit there. There is only one toilet which can’t be used and there’s no drinking water. Mechanical engineering classes are still held in sheds.”