Despite declining demand for engineering courses, and seats lying vacant for undergraduate engineering courses under the state government quota, the government is in the process of setting up three more engineering colleges in Karnataka.
The state government has written a letter to All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) seeking permission for establishing the colleges, and the expert committee from the council is expected to visit the colleges soon. The proposal submitted to AICTE seeks four courses for each college with an intake of 60 per batch.
As per information from the Department of Technical Education, all the three new colleges will be functional from the 2019-20 academic year, and admissions will be made through the Common Entrance Test (CET) 2019.
The state government has sanctioned two engineering colleges at Talakal and Gangavathi in Koppal district, and one at Mosale Hosahalli, in Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's home town, Hassan.
The setting up of the colleges will add over 700 seats to the government quota through CET 2019. Last year, around 20,000 seats were left vacant during CET.
According to department officials, the new colleges are being set up following a demand from various student organisations. "As the fee at government engineering colleges is less compared to seats available under private quota or at private colleges, we have accepted the proposals submitted to set up new government engineering colleges," a senior official said.
"The building is ready at Talakal and Gangavathi, and there is no need of infrastructure there. The college at Mosale Hosalli will begin in a temporary building, and for 2020-21 academic year it will be shifted to its own building," the official said.
There are 11 government engineering colleges currently functioning in the state, and many of them have not received renewal of recognition for 2019-20. Besides, for some of them, the AICTE has reduced the intake for lack of infrastructure and eligible faculties.
