BHUBANESWAR: As the state government finds itself in a spot over selection of site for the proposed Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Odisha, the temporary campus of the proposed institute is likely to be located in the capital city.
Official sources said that the state government will submit the proposal to the Centre to set up the temporary campus for the time being in Bhubaneswar till a decision is taken about the location.
The Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry had written to the state government in July to submit a list of three locations for setting up the IIM in the state.
The site selection committee of the ministry will finalise one of the locations after a visit to the sites.
The Central Government had asked the state government to provide litigation free 200 acres of land for establishment of the IIM in the state. The criteria laid down by the HRD Ministry also said the proposed site for the institute should have an airport in close proximity. Besides, there should also be better rail and road communication to the proposed site.
Best Option
As the selection of location is yet to be completed, Bhubanswar will be the best option for starting the temporary campus till the Human Resources DevelopmentMinistry finalises a location from one of the sites recommended by the state government.
The Industrial and Infrastructural Development Corporation of Odisha (IDCO) has already forwarded the reports of the collectors of seven districts, Cuttack, Khurda, Ganjam, Sambalpur, Koraput, Puri and Sundargarh, on the choice of possible sites for the proposed Indian Institute of Management in the state to the Employment and Technical Education and Training (ET&T) department.
The ET&T department has already set up a high-level committee to study the proposals by the district collectors. After studying these reports, the Employment and Technical Education and Training department would submit a final report to the state government on the best possible sites for the proposed IIM.
After Centre announced proposal to set up IIM in Odisha, several organisations and local representatives of Khurda, Cuttack, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Koraput, Puri, Ganjam, Bolangir, Balasore and Angul had demanded that the institute in their respective districts.