Govt revives plan to take UVCE out of BU

BANGALORE: An Indian Institute of Technology? A centre of excellence? Innovative institute in engineering and science? Everybody has a different plan for how University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) should celebrate its 100th birthday in 2017.Union law minister M Veerappa Moily wants Karnataka's oldest engineering college to be turned into an IIT in his constituency, Chikkaballapur. M R Srinivasan, former Planning Commission member and alumnus of the 1950 batch, wants it to become the Visvesvaraya Institute of Engineering and Science. A vision document drafted by Bangalore University (BU) envisages a centre of excellence status to its jewel in the crown. Unsure of how to turn the 94-year-old college into a world-class institute, the state government is setting up a study group to give it a new direction ahead of its centenary celebrations.The plan to delink UVCE from BU was revived when M RSrinivasan sent a letter to the state government saying there was "a real dangerof UVCE going out of existence as we approach its centenary year" if BU isbifurcated. He suggested creating a new Visvevaraya Institute of Engineering andScience out of the present UVCE at Muddenahali, the birthplace of Sir MVisvesvaraya. He suggested that this institute addresses the problems of the21st century in a multi-disciplinary manner, be free of government control withan autonomous board of governors.Although Srinivasan offered tochair a committee to take this idea forward, the higher education departmentplans to set up a study group headed by the higher education principal secretaryas chairman, with vice-chancellors of Bangalore University and VisvesvarayaTechnological University (VTU) and former DRDO secretary V K Aatre asmembers."I have made a few recommendations in the wake of the megareunion we had earlier this year. I do not want to get into a public debate onwhat course of action the government plans to take," Srinivasan toldTOI.At the heart of the debate is Bangalore Universityvice-chancellor N Prabhu Dev who is adamant that UVCE should not be handed overto VTU as "just another constituent college".He told TOI: "I do notmind if the government wants to take it away and make an IIT. But I see no pointin bringing it under VTU. We have prepared a vision document for UVCE. We wantto give it more autonomy and make it a centre of excellence in engineering andtechnology."During the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Sir MVisvesvaraya, Moily announced he would request Prime Minister Manmohan Singh togrant Rs 100 crore to elevate UVCE to the level of an IIT.TOI wasthe first to report the government's plans to hand over constituent engineeringcolleges of different universities to VTU. Last month, the government gave itsnod to shift UBDT College of Engineering from Davangere University toVTU.About UVCE* Was established in 1917 thanks to theforesight of Sir M Visvesvaraya, then diwan of Mysore state* Nowpart of Bangalore University, it offers seven undergraduate and 24 post-graduateprogrammes* Among 14 colleges in the state selected for WorldBank-assisted quality improvement programme up to 2014* 115full-time faculty; 66 with PhDsI do not mind if the government wantsto take it away and make an IIT. But I see no point in bringing it under VTU. Wehave prepared a vision document for UVCE. We want to give it more autonomy andmake it a centre of excellence in engineering and technology.NPrabhu Dev | Bangalore University VC