Bhattacharya at the lab that was inaugurated on Monday. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, March 3: Twenty-five graduates from the Siliguri Industrial Training Institute (ITI) have left for Singur to join the Tata Motors plant there.

“Tata Motors recently conducted a campus interview here and as many as 25 of our students were selected for its Singur plant,” Kamal Mittal, the institute’s management committee chairman, said today. “This is a great achievement for the institute and should prove to be an inspiration for the present and future students.”

Mittal was speaking before a new computer lab was opened at the institute.

The institute’s principal Moloy Saha said a team from the plant had come to the campus and sought male graduates in the trade of mechanical motor vehicles and electricians and broad-based basic (electricians) training as well as fitters and turners (lathe machine operators).

“They had to be below 25 years old. We called all our past students who fit the criteria and 25 of them were shortlisted. They have left for Singur,” said Saha.

“A large number of our other students have been employed by various companies, like Coca Cola, PCM Cement, Kitchen Appliances India Ltd (Videocon), Zydus Health Care, among others,” the principal added.

Inaugurating the lab, urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya said the institute was the only one in Bengal, which has been given the status of Centre of Excellence (in the electrical sector) by the directorate-general of employment and training, government of India.

“I know the region has demand for plumbers, fitters and electricians. We have to get trained people from outside the state,” the minister said.

Bhattacharya added that the sprawling 14-acre ITI campus at 2nd Mile off Sevoke Road should be better utilised. “There is lots of space here. The playground should be revived and used for various games. The Siliguri Municipal Corporation’s suggestion of running paramedical courses here should also be taken up.”

The institute management committee of ITI Siliguri was formed in 2006-2007. For the first time, the state government had nominated an industrialist as its chairman, breaking from the tradition of appointing either an IAS officer or an educationist to the honorary post.

The committee has drawn up an institute development plan with an estimate of Rs 3.5 crore, to be spent on upgrading and refurbishing the existing departments and introducing a few new ones. ITI Siliguri has around 1,000 students.