Chhatrapur: The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) which is functioning from a transit campus at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Berhampur is battling a host of problems including a severe space crunch and water shortage.
The IISER is facing a severe space crunch as it is functioning from only three floors of a building on the ITI’s premises.
The state government has provided 200 acres at Laudigaon near Gopalpur in Kanishi tehsil for construction of a new campus for IISER. Around 350 students study at this institute.
The Central institute which was established here in 2016 requires 25,000 litres of water daily for drinking as well as for research.
Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange presided over a meeting at the collectorate here Monday which discussed the problems as well as some proposals put up by IISER authorities before the district administration.
The transit campus of the IISER is functioning on the second, third and fourth floor of a building on the ITI’s premises.
The students of the premier institute are taught here, but it is falling short of requirements. The IISER had demanded the ground and first floors of the building too, but the ITI authorities refused to give them as they were using the two floors. Later, the ITI authorities agreed to the IISER’s demand after a new building came up on its campus.
The ITI authorities demanded Rs 95 lakh from IISER to shift equipment and other things to the new building. However, this has remained unresolved as the IISER authorities agreed to pay only Rs 65 lakh.
IISER representatives also drew the attention of the Collector towards the water problem on their premises, and the latter directed the executive engineer of PHEO to take steps regarding this.
The new campus on the 200 acre plot will require more water which will be supplied from the Rushikulya River.
The IISER authorities have also proposed to construct a separate road to its transit campus while the meeting discussed the construction of three approach roads from the NH to its new campus via AD College and Gopalpur.
The Collector said work on the approach roads will begin after sanction of funds. The Collector also promised to urge the government to sanction Rs 11 crore for supplying power to IISER from the Narendrapur grid. The Collector directed ADM (Revenue) to monitor progress and report to him.
IISER Director KV Archari, ADM (Revenue) Lakshmikant Sethy, Deputy Collector (Revenue) Dibya Lochan Mohanta, Rangeilunda ABDO Tripati Balaji, Kanishi Tensildar Anita Kumari Sahu, ITI Principal Rajat Kumar Panigrahi, PHEO Executive Engineer Sitaram Panda, his IISER counterpart Sanjay Majhi, R&B counterpart Lakshman Murmu and other officials attended the meeting.
PNN