NIT campus at Cuncolim to come up in 3 years

Team Herald

PANJIM: The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Goa has committed to come up with a state-of-the-art permanent campus, including hostel facilities, at Cuncolim within three years.

Now operating from a temporary premises at Goa College of Engineering (GEC), Farmagudi, NIT Goa has also proposed Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) model for its students. 

“Our Master Plan for the construction of the permanent campus will be ready in 15 days. It is almost frozen and the work is expected to begin from November 2017. We are expecting to complete the work in three years,” NIT Goa Director Prof Gopal Mugeraya said on Friday. 

The State government in July 2017 officially handed over land measuring 4,56,767 sqm at Cuncolim to the institute to set up a permanent campus.  

The institute has proposed planting 1000 mankurad mango saplings. “The first phase of the construction will cover around 500 acres. 

The premises will have administrative building, laboratories, quarters, huge classrooms, digital library, etc. We are also planning to tie-up with three Indian Institutes of Technology at Mumbai, Madras for MOOCs course for the faculty and students,” he added. 

The institute is in the process of signing MoU with IIT Madras wherein 10 students will take up PhD in IITs. Currently with 560 students, NIT Goa’s enrollment is likely to increase four times in the coming years. Mugeraya said they are introducing mechanical and civil programs in addition to the existing Electrical, Electronics and Computer Science from the coming academic year. 

In another proposed academic project NIT is contemplating to adopt schools and train them in studies so as to get admissions in NIT.  

Meanwhile, admitting that the present hostel facility is poor, the Director said they will invest for better facilities at new campus. 

“We have taken old faculty buildings of the GEC College on rent for hostel facilities. These are renovated but we are trying to improve on the facilities. The new campus will have all the amenities in place,” he said.