Calcutta, Dec. 2: A team of experts from Delhi today made it clear that Bengal Engineering and Science University (called BE College earlier) and Jadavpur University might be granted IIT status only if the government gives them full autonomy.

The two must be free from the government’s interference like the IITs, the members of the Union human resource development ministry team said after an inspection of the institutions.

The panel is expected to submit its report to the ministry in six weeks.

The government gave an indication yesterday that it wanted to have a mixed mode of governance in the institutions after they are awarded IIT status. This will help the government retain control over the two technical schools that now run with its financial backing.

The state government now provides an annual grant of about Rs 18 crore to Jadavpur University and nearly 17.5 crore to BE College.

After the upgrade, the expenditure will shoot up to Rs 80-100 crore every year for each of the universities. “This amount will be provided by the Centre. The state governments cannot be permitted to interfere once the Centre starts providing such huge funds,” one of the experts said.

The authorities of Jadavpur University, where the trio went yesterday, told them that through the “proposed mode of governance” they intended to strike a balance between the way the IITs are run and the system being followed by state-aided varsities.

“We have heard the state government’s views. On examining it, we will convene a meeting with the state’s representatives,” said Annanda Krishnan, a former vice-chancellor of Anna University and convener of the team that visited BE College today.

During meetings between the experts and officials of the two institutions, the former tried to explain why the Centre could not allow state interference.

At the end of the two-day mission, the team members said they will suggest to the ministry that along with the upgrade, the institutions can be developed as centres of international importance.

“They have a rich heritage and a certain uniqueness missing in the IITs. We can best exploit these strengths of the two institutions by creating an atmosphere that will attract bright students not just from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka but all over the world,” said Amitava Ghosh, an IIT Kanpur professor who was part of the central team.