College of Engineering and Technology in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, July 13: The 32-year-old College of Engineering and Technology (CET) may shortly get the much-coveted university status.

The authorities of CET say that the varsity status will ensure premier college grants from the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), the University Grants Commission (UGC) and other agencies.

Following a high-level meeting chaired by technical education minister Sanjay Das Burma, the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) vice-chancellor has been asked to submit a detailed project report for granting the unitary varsity status to CET.

Earlier, the University Engineering College, Burla, in Sambalpur had been accorded unitary university status.

The need to grant university status to CET has become all the more important as the authorities now fear losing the World Bank funded Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (Teqip) if the college does not get an immediate upgrade.

“The project that began in April 2012 was approved with the condition that CET would get an academic autonomy in two years, but we are yet to get that,” said a senior official of the college. The college was provided Rs 10 crore under Teqip.

A senior official of CET said that the status would help in the smooth functioning of academic and administrative affairs.

The college, which began its journey with only two departments in 1982, now has more than 3,000 students. The college has 11 departments, along with three supporting ones.

“However, the infrastructure at CET continues to be poor. Situated in the state capital, it has been the most sought-after by students and a status of technical university will boost its prospects,” said a teacher of the institute.

“Most important, the university tag will enable us to get important funds from various agencies that are crucial for infrastructure development of the institute,” said an official.

He said while private colleges such as Centurion University and Siksha ‘O’Anusandhan University were granted varsity status in no time, the state government had taken too long to take a similar decision for CET.

The college authorities said that the state government could consider the upgrade under the newly launched Rashtriya Ucchatar Siksha Abhiyaan.