PDPU seeks 100 acres more for expansion

To invest Rs 100 cr in one year

Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) promoted Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) has chalked out massive expansion plans for an estimated investment of Rs 100 crore in the next one year. The varsity is aiming to add another 100 acres for expansion at Gandhinagar and has drawn a blueprint for this.

PDPU, which has its campus spread over 23 acres currently, has received in-principle nod from the state government for acquiring 103 acres of government land in all and is looking at further adding another 100 acres in near future.

"We have drawn out a plan to set up the university in about 200 acres in all over a period of time. So far, we have got government’s in-principle nod for a 100 odd acres," said a senior government official close to the development.

A source in the institute confirmed the development. "So far, Rs 85 crore have been invested in the university and PDPU has set aside about Rs 100 crores for the current year," the source added.

The board of governers is chaired by Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries and includes members like K V Kamath, former ICICI MD & CEO, Vikram Singh Mehta, chairman of Shell Group of Companies -India, Subir Raha, former CMD of ONGC, S. Jagatheesan, Principal Secretary Energy & Petrochemical, Gujarat government and D J Pandian, MD of GSPC.

Apart from the university's latest announcement of establishing School of Nuclear Engineering and the School of Solar Energy in the near future, PDPU also plans to roll out various other courses in the future. School of Modeling and Virtual Reality and School of Petroleum Law and Intellectual Property are a few plans of the university in the coming years.

The institute is gearing up to launch its solar energy course, which is aimed at creating an academic and research led environment for solar energy related studies though its Ph.D. programme, commencing from July 2009. "It is for the first time in Gujarat that a school will be established with focus on solar energy. The school plans to develop systems, conduct research and teaching especially in the areas of photovoltaic and photo thermal energy," Naresh Jotwani, director, School of Solar Energy told Business Standard. Presently, the school plans to offer a capacity seat of 10 students, and will be sharing the facilities and the campus of the petroleum university.

The university has been alloted Rs 1 crore for research by the Department of Science and Technology. The company is all set to create and energy park on the campus, for which it is in talks with Suzlon and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) for a windmill and gas pipes models respectively, to be installed in the park.

PDPU will witness its first convocation on May 27 for its batch of Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, to be attended by former president APJ Kalm, Mukesh Ambani and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.