Post News Network
Rourkela, March 3: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s recommendation to the Union ministry of human resources development (MHRD) to set up an IIM in Sambalpur rather than any other part of western Orissa, has triggered protests in the Steel City. Many wondered why the state government has given preference to Sambalpur rather than Rourkela for setting up the premier institute.
The anger is evident among people here as they demanded justification for the chief minister’s move. Dr KK Patra, director of Rourkela Institute of Management Studies, said: “Besides being a cosmopolitan city, all educational facilities are available in Rourkela. It is the best place for an IIM, as the presence of management institutes and technical colleges like NIT and BPUT makes Rourkela the perfect location for an IIM.”
Ravikant Trivedi, a BBA second-year student of RIMS, said: “Rourkela is a place of key industries like RSP which has been set up long back. There is also a technical institute of repute like NIT Rourkela. If IIM is set up in Rourkela, it will be easier for many IIM aspirants who pass out from NIT. Moreover, many foreign delegates visit RSP. With the airport expected to be developed here further, foreign delegates who come for placements would find it easy to visit the IIM for taking interviews, so there would be no dearth of job opportunities.”
Director of NIT Rourkela, Prof (Dr) Sunil Kumar Sarangi, said: “Rourkela is better suited for an IIM than any other place in Orissa as it is the heart of the industrial belt of Orissa. Due to its proximity to industries, a management institute is better suited in Rourkela, while a University can be good for Sambalpur.”
Comparing Sambalpur and Rourkela, Ekant Mishra, a BTech second-year biomedical engineering student of NIT Rourkela, said: “Rourkela is a cosmopolitan, industrial and a planned city. It has a domestic airport and its connectivity will be restored shortly, while Sambalpur is lacking one. Train services in Rourkela junction are better than in Sambalpur, which makes it the ideal location for establishing an IIM.”
A protest rally, headed by its president Rinku Samal, was taken out by Rourkela Jagran Manch Wednesday from Uditnagar Parade Ground to ADM office Rourkela, demanding the establishment of IIM here. They also sent a memorandum to the chief minister, through the ADM, demanding the setting up of the premier institute in the Steel City.
