DECADE-LONG INJUSTICE AND APATHY TO UCE, BURLA, MUST END

University College of Engineering, Burla

University College of Engineering (UCE), Burla took birth on 12th August 1956 as a constituent college under Utkal University. In January 1967, the management of UCE was transferred to Sambalpur University. The college was conferred Academic Autonomous Status by University Grants Commission, New Delhi in 1992. The college responded to this responsibility with timely conduction of examination & publication of results, increased placement for students, improving the quality education, etc. Ministry of Industry of Orissa Government asked UCE to register itself under the Society of Registration Act 1860 with amended by-laws vide their letter dated 27th September 2001. Accordingly, the College applied for Society Registration on 7th December 2001. The 15th Board of Management, which was chaired by the then Industry Minister himself, took resolution that the Society of Registration be expedited and accordingly the College sent a reminder to the Ministry of Industry on 31st December 2002. The matter is still pending with the Ministry of Industries, Government of Orissa.

In the mean time, the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) was formed by the Government of Orissa in June 2002. Along with many other engineering colleges – both Government and Private – UCE was transferred to the BPUT as constituent college yet again. It was a complete watershed on the ambitions of UCE, which dreamt of building itself as a world-class institution. UCE received a fresh lease of hope when the Chief Minister recommended to Union HRD Minister to upgrade the status of UCE to an IIT on 27th January 2004. But, UCE missed the IIT bus by a whisker due to changed scenario at the Centre.

Even the college itself does not know the real status of autonomy today. UGC has granted autonomy to UCE, Burla till 2006 and is extendable thereafter. It was understood from reliable sources that Government has never written that autonomy was withdrawn from UCE. It is therefore surprising that BPUT handles examinations and other academic affairs of students of 1st and 2nd year while the UCE handles the academic affairs of 3rd and final year students. This means BPUT has unlawfully withdrawn the academic autonomy granted by UGC without any official notification with effect from the batch admitted in the year 2003.

UCE is the only Government Engineering College in Orissa today to run PG & PhD programmes for which B.P.U.T. has earned name and quite a bit of projects. BPUT derives its credibility from the name of UCE, which is the oldest, and most accomplished engineering college in the State. UCE, on the other hand, has made huge loss in terms of finance, name and fame. After constitution, BPUT transferred about 15 lakhs rupees from the JEE fund of UCE to BPUT account alongwith some costly assets like plotters. Ever since it was transferred to BPUT, UCE is not getting any UGC plan grants that come to about 80 lakhs in the plan period. Earlier UCE was receiving the said fund continuously. If the autonomous status of UCE is not restored, from academic year 2006 onwards UCE is going to lose Rs 8 lakhs per year received from UGC till now on account of performing autonomous status. As UCE remains shackled to BPUT, the college is unable to submit the big project proposals for funds running to crores of rupees (e.g. TEQIP of World Bank, Government of India & Japanese Grand-in-aid, Science and Technology, MNES, etc) because UCE is not registered under the Societies Registration Act which is the eligibility criteria of the funding agencies. Prior to 2003, UCE had a Board of Management chaired by the Industry Minister of the State was meeting regularly to discuss the performance and problems of UCE. After BPUT took over UCE, the Board has never met and it is not known whether the Board still exists.

UCE is the first engineering college of the State. It has rolled out more than 13,000 alumni who have proved themselves very successful in all the leading PSUs, Private Sectors as well as abroad. UCE has delivered its responsibility to the society by contributing in building the Modern Orissa. Almost all the Chief Engineers Electricity Boards, Irrigation, PWD, Dam Projects in Orissa – who have either retired or are serving - are UCE products. All the major road projects, ports, power plants, industries, transmission lines, irrigation projects, dams in Orissa have been completed with overwhelming participation by UCE engineers. Even today, UCE pursues the same path of serving the Society by monitoring projects such as 1600 crores rupees PMGSY. It is the only Government engineering college to offer programmes in PG and Ph D, and continuing so since last 30 years. It is the first autonomous engineering college of the State. It was one of the 13 technical institutions in the country which was identified by MHRD to receive Japanese Grant. The high standards, rigourity and intensity of teaching has been USP of UCE. It has rich team of faculty who have contributed more than 2000 research papers and authored 53 books. Every IIT of the country has few alumni or faculty of UCE in its faculty team. It has largest technical library of the State. Its laboratories, particularly for Electrical & Mechanical engineering, are comparable with any IITs in the country. The college is replete with 50 years of experience in engineering education, consultancy and research, and is into its 14th years of autonomous management. There is no second engineering college in the State which can match the standard of teaching at UCE and its contributions to the State. While the Government found UCE as the fittest college for upgradation to IIT status, it has been treated at par with some thirty odd the Private colleges in the State. It is shameful.

After taking over UCE, the BPUT has not added a single brick, computer, or equipment to the College. Not a single grant has come to the college since 2002. With four core branches, i.e. Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, Electronics & telecom, the approved faculty strength was 97. After addition of 4 new branches like Computer Science, Information Technology, Manufacturing Science and MCA, the faculty strength is 44 today. As few faculties are due for retirement, the strength would reach 38 by end of 2005. For student strength of 1200, the faculty to student ratio comes to be 1:30, which is extremely unfortunate. This raises serious question whether the same standard of teaching can be maintained with this razor-thin faculty strength. BPUT cites the absence of its statute as the reason for non-recruitment of faculty. There are only 5 internet nodes for 1200 students. It is pathetic for a college, which once upon a time was known in the country for excellence in education.

UCE receives grants-in-aid from the Ministry of Industries of State Government for its functioning. As the central grants have ceased to come and Ministry Industries is apathetic to the dire needs of the UCE, it has become impossible for the college to maintain its vast infrastructures like college buildings, hostel building, outdoor campus, laboratory equipment, vehicles, etc. As the strength of gone up and women students in-take has increased, there is dire need of at least 2 more hostels. The students are forced to stay in erstwhile common rooms of the hostels like dormitory arrangements. The roofs of many rooms are leaking and the reinforcement is exposed. The windows & doors of the hostels have never been replaced since inception. Broken windows and furniture are common scene in every hostel room. The electrical wirings in the hostel rooms and college classrooms have worn out. Most of the toilets in the colleges and hostels are in shambles and are inoperative. College toilets are deprived of water supply and are unhygienic. The dirty kitchens and dining halls of the hostels inspires shame. The financial condition of the college has gone down so low that the college does not have adequate fund to even whitewash its huge campus and building. Such pathetic affairs at UCE are forcing the faculties and prospective students to opt for other colleges. Every year, two or three teachers are leaving UCE to join IITs or NITs. Neither BPUT, nor the Department of Industries have any concern for this.

It is strongly felt that short of dynamism on the part of the college management and lack of political will is behind such miseries of the first & premier engineering college of the State. The State of UP and Assam could install new IITs at Roorkee and Gowhati respectively. NIT could be established at Patna. Despite having one IIT at Kharagpur, both Bengal Universities and Jadavpur Universities could find place in SK Joshi Committee for upgradation to IIT. It is very unfortunate and shameful that the oldest college Orissa is struggling for its identity. When nascent private colleges like KIITS is Deemed University and younger colleges like IGIT, Saranga ( established in 1983 ) is registered under Societies of Registration Act with administrative and financial autonomy, it is great injustice and unfairness to keep a college of UCE’s stature under the administrative control of BPUT. The status of ‘Deemed University’ comes naturally to UCE and it is UCE’s right. For decades and decades, the college has suffered the injustice silently while discharging its obligation to the society. Now, its 13,000 alumni have come united to revive back the glory. It is appealed to the Chief Minister that immediate steps be taken to reaffirm UCE as an autonomous college, register UCE under Registration of Societies Act 1860, fill-up the vacant posts of the faculty, restore the Board of Management and help the college to become Deemed University. The Government should also immediately release about 15 crores rupees for renovation of existing structure and development of new essential facilities.

All of us want Orissa to be number 1 state in terms of development. And who can do this ? Engineers. When Orissa is on accelerated path to industrialization with more than 50,000 crores rupees being proposed for investment, the State needs Quality engineers & high-class testing facilities. It needs more than one NIT to meet this requirement. UCE is the only appropriate college to fill the vacancy. UCE has everything – from huge college building to sprawling campus, well-designed laboratories & workshop, biggest technical library, biggest auditorium, etc. With assets of more than 300 cores, UCE does not need much investment for its upgradation. It has 133.6 acres land in use while 369 acres land is available for further extension. Once UCE becomes Deemed University, it would attract central aids & grants, investment from NRIs. This would reduce burden on the State Government. UCE has rich culture, strong fundamentals, self-belief, and carefully nurtured ethics as ingredient for achieving its vision. UCE was the brain-child of the legendary leader Sri Biju Patnaik, who dreamt of building it as a national college. With his resignation as Chief Minister and premature demise of Nehru, he could not make it an IIT. The long chain of alumni of UCE and the people of the State have belief that his son shall fulfill the dream of his father. The change of Government at the Centre might have disturbed his calculations, but people are sure that he will return back UCE its due. UCE shall soon be Deemed University and someday an IIT.
 

Ashesh Padhy
Secretary – Alumni Association of UCE, Burla
Contact: asheskumarpadhi@adityabirla.com, 9437063788