Decade old IITs cost 2x more, but student intake was a third in first 6 yrs

Construction delays impact student intake; original plan was to spend Rs 6,080 cr in six years. But the cost catapulted to Rs 14,332 cr and project period expanded to 13 years

After the success stories of seven IITs set up in the 50 years after India became a republic, the announcement of eight new IITs happened in 2008, with Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Indore, Jodhpur, Mandi, Patna and Ropar getting the allotment.

A recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India throws light on the financial, infrastructure and academic performance of the eight IITs in the decade after their announcement.

The report finds that in IIT Hyderabad, IIT Indore, IIT Jodhpur and IIT Patna, sufficient land was made available, but in IIT Bhubaneswar, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Mandi and IIT Ropar,