IIT Ropar missing campus, faculty

Among the eight new IITs established in 2008, the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar topped its peers in Scopus Data with an average citation of 4.93 and an h-index of 23.

The institute, set up to facilitate research in the region, has since not been able to achieve its potential due to a shortage of faculty and infrastructure. Operating out of a transit campus on 25 acres in Punjab's Roopnagar district, 50 km from Chandigarh, the institute has been keeping a low profile.

Construction of the new campus is delayed by two years. IIT Ropar is the slowest among its peers in this respect. Against an allocation of Rs 760 crore for the first phase of construction, the institute used only Rs 294 crore till March 2015. This includes Rs 90 crore of advance payments to meet the deadline for fund use.

Despite support from the Union ministry of human resources development and the Punjab government, construction is delayed because of a lax local administration. S K Das, director, IIT Ropar, says the teething problems are over. Construction has resumed and the new building will be ready by March 2017.

A teaching faculty of 65, against the sanctioned strength of 90, has also plugged the scope for research. Industry in Punjab is grappling with obsolete technology and synergies with a premier technology institute are necessary to face global competition. Agriculture, the lifeline of Punjab, is also waiting for customised technologies. "We will hold interviews in December to hire faculty. A delegation from IIT Ropar will travel to the UK, the US and Canada next summer to recruit post-doctorates," Das adds.

The institute faces the ignominy of not being able to find jobs for all its graduates. The director attributes this to the tedious journey from Chandigarh that dampens the spirit of corporates. "The computer stream has 100 per cent placement, but the other two engineering branches offered here, mechanical and electrical, have a lower placement ratio. We have formed a centre for career development to mentor students for campus interviews," says Das.

Around 480 undergraduates and 100 postgraduate students are preparing for the placement season that begins in October. Their lack of soft skills has been identified as an issue, says a faculty member, and it is being addressed.

New courses will be added in phases. Civil engineering will be introduced in the April 2016 session and new postgraduate courses a session later. "It is not possible to excel in every field so we will not replicate the old IITs. We have identified agriculture engineering, bio-medical science, additive manufacturing (3D printing) and energy as areas for research," says Das.

IIT Ropar set up an entrepreneurship cell in 2010 and a business incubator in 2014 but its own students are yet to begin their startup journey. Limited funds and a small pool of mentors are barriers to the startup wave that has swept the established IITs in the last few years.

Administrative and academic restructuring over the last few months may give wings to IIT Ropar and relocation to its actual campus could provide an environment to shape future leaders.