Professor Chitta Baral's letter to CM for Setting up Universities and/or Government Medical Colleges in KBK

Dear Naveen babu:

I just came across an article about our beloved swargiya Biju babu and the achievements of his government during 1961-1967. During that time he established many things including the following:

Paradeep Port
Daitari-Paradeep highway
Mig factory in Sunabeda
Rourkela Steel Plant
Regional Research Laboratory
Regional College of Education
Berhampur University
Sambalpur University
Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology
Sainik School
Baragarh Cement factory
Various factories of IDC
Orissa textile mills (OTM)
Kalinga Tubes
Kalinga Iron works

As you will notice, the above list includes three universities (in Bhubaneswar, Berhampur and Sambalpur), RRL and Sainik School.

Your government has embarked on a similar trajectory. However, the various institutions of higher education that have so far been announced by your government are all (except the enhancement of Orissa School of Mining Engineering) centered around the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack area. This includes Ravenshaw University, IIIT, NISER, Utkal Univ of Culture, Vedanta Univ, Sri Sri's proposed university, ICFAI and Capital Medical College.

May I humbly request that like your father you take a broader perspective and spread
the higher education cheer across Orissa.

Please consider

(i) Setting up universities and/or govt. medical colleges, one each in each of the undivided KBK districts. (say in Koraput, Bhawanipatna and Balangir)

(ii) Upgrading UCE Burla to Orissa University of Engineering and Applied Sciences,
similar to BESU (Bengal Engg and Science U) and CUSAT (Cochin Univ of Sc and Tech).
The farsighted steps taken by the Bengal and Keral govt. paid rich dividend in that these two are among the ones shortlisted to become IIT cousins.

I wrote an earlier mail to you with more possibilities, but this time let me just mention these two.

sincerely,

Chitta Baral

ps -- I am from Jajpur Rd. and grew up in BBSR. I have no vested interest in Burla or KBK except that I would like the new higher education initiatives to be spread around Orissa.


Chitta Baral
Professor, Arizona State University