Bengal to get two more universities during 11th Plan period

Kolkata, Nov 7 (UNI) West Bengal is likely to get two more universities in the eleventh plan period.

One university would come up in North Bengal and the other an IT university would be on a par with IIT, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said here today.

The five year eleventh plan period would start from 2007 onwards.

'' The state needs a university of IIT status and another university in North Bengal. Union HRD minister Arjun Singh has assured me that funds would be granted in the eleventh plan for these universities,'' Mr Bhattacharjee said.

The Chief Minister was speaking at the foundation stone unveiling programme of the New Kolkata campus of IIT Kharagpur.

He said the state government has allotted land for the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Technology in Kalyani.

The Chief Minister praised the role of IIT Kharagpur in technical education.

He said the institute was working with the state government in a project aimed at ways to improving the livelihood of the poor people living in Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapur districts.

Mr Bhattacharjee also sought help of IIT Kharagpur to solve many problems, including arsenic contamination in drinking water.

The New Kolkata campus of IIT Kharagpur, spreading over 10 acre, would be built with an investment of Rs 250 crore.

The construction work would start soon and the campus would be ready in the next 4-5 years.

The student strength of the new campus would be around 2000.

Sanjiv Goenka, chairman, board of governors, IIT Kharagpur, said the new campus would help the institute to start inter-disciplinary courses, incubation programmes, short term courses etc.

IIT Kharagpur Director Prof S. K. Dube said, ''The institute is also setting up a R