The government has issued an order to shift 625 students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Srinagar, Uttarakhand, to a satellite campus at the Malviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT) in Jaipur to decongest the campus in the hill state, officials familiar with the matter said.

The Union human resource development (HRD) ministry on Monday gave the go-ahead following complaints by students over the past year that facilities on the Uttarakhand campus — including laboratories, hostel rooms and washrooms — were not sufficient for all those on the rolls. There are at least 900 students in the institution, an HRD ministry official said.

“There is a huge lack of space and infrastructure with as many as six students crammed in a single hostel room. There aren’t enough washrooms. Nor are facilities like laboratories adequate. So, the HRD ministry held discussions with the Uttarakhand government following repeated protests by the students. Consequently, it was decided that the campus would be shifted to Malviya National Institute of Technology,” a senior HRD ministry official aware of the matter said.

According to the HRD ministry order, 625 students belonging to the first, second and the third years would soon be shifted to the MNIT Jaipur campus. No date has been specified as of now.

A former UGC member and educationist, Inder Mohan Kapahy, said, “Over the last decade, many IITs, NITs, IIMs etc were established without creating the required infrastructure. Due preparation is required to start such institutions of higher education.”

First Published: Dec 04, 2018 23:36 IST