Congress MLA demands IIT in Koraput

Bhubaneswar, Apr 30 (UNI) Koraput MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati today demanded that the proposed IIT in Orissa be set up at Koraput.

In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Mr Bahinipati demanded the government to set up the institute anywhere in undivided Koraput district failing which he threatened to launch a districtwide mass agaitation.

The Congress leader said the agitation would continue till the demand was conceded, adding the government would be held responsible if anything happened during the agitation.

Mr Bahinipati said the opening up of the institute would contribute to the overall development of the district and impart quality technical education to the students.

The Congress leader said Koraput district is most suitable place for setting up of the institute as it has world class industrial units like NALCO, HAL, Seva Paper mill, Hindalco and hydro electric projects like Upper Kolab, Indravati, Machkund and Balimela.

The district has maximum unused land, which could be utilised for setting up of the institute, he said.

Mr Bahinipati said he had been fighting for the setting up of the IIT in Koraput since 2002, much before the state government had demanded for it and written letters to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, former Human Resource Development Minister Murali Manohar Joshi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in this regard.

Mr Bahinipati also demanded the government to set up the proposed Central University at Koraput.

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