National Institute of Technology (NIT), Patna, is all set to get a new director after seven months.

Asok De, the principal of Ambedkar Institute of Technology, New Delhi, will join as the director of the institute in the second week of July. His predecessor U.C. Ray retired in November 2011.

“My priority will be to develop the academic standards and infrastructure in the institute,” De told The Telegraph over phone from Delhi.

After De takes charge, the students of NIT-Patna will have a better chance of getting placed because companies would be able to visit the campus directly for recruitment. In the past seven months, firms had to first contact the director in-charge in Patna, S.M. Jha. He used to inform additional director P. Chakraborty, operating from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), Allahabad, about the firms’ proposed visit. After getting Chakraborty’s nod, Jha used to invite companies to NIT-Patna.

Besides, the development works are now expected to gain speed. The construction work of three hostels and a student activity centre could now be completed.

Jha told The Telegraph: “With the appointment of a full-time director, the construction work will speed up and pending issues would be settled. A director has more financial powers.” The institute will also be able to purchase the required equipment, chemicals among other necessary things for its departments.

A.K. Sahni, the general secretary of NIT- Patna Teachers’ Association, said: “As a director in-charge has the power to grant only up to Rs 15,000, we had to depend on Chakraborty for getting the approval to purchase bigger equipment and chemicals.”

Students’ activities, such as convocation, cultural fests and other extra-curricular activities would also be organised on time after De takes charge. The convocation, which was scheduled for May this year, was postponed in the absence of a director.

The students were also happy over the news of the appointment of a new director of their institute. “In the past few months, there was no direct authority to whom we could approach with our problems. We faced difficulties in organising the NIT tech fest, Corona, in April. We could not get funds for the fest, as a result of which many reputed institutes did not turn up at the event.