Students, faculty members and alumni of the century-old University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) came out in protest against the shifting of the institute from KR Circle to the Jnanabharathi campus in western Bengaluru.
Eminent alumni, including Padma Vibhushan awardee Roddam Narasimha and former Bangalore University vice chancellor N Prabhu Dev, took part in the protest organised by the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO).
“There is a legitimate concern about the college’s heritage building. The college has a legacy which should be preserved and not taken away from its beloved home,” said Narasimha, an eminent aerospace scientist.
Prabhu Dev said the mechanical engineering lab in the college was in a pathetic condition while the government grants were insufficient. He suggested that the college be allowed to operate out of its current campus while making it a constituent college of Bangalore University. He added that Rs 300 crore should be spent to develop the UVCE and upgrade it to IIT.
The UVCE has about 4,000 students and a 15-acre campus. Students wonder where will they go if the campus is closed. “What will we do if all of us are sent to Jnanabharathi. That college does not even have basic facilities. The mechanical engineering lab is in poor condition,” said Ramesh, a postgraduate student.
Vasudev Murthy, an alumnus, said the government was misled by the committee that recommended shifting of the college. The committee’s members do not belong to the college. Their report is “unacceptable”, he said. “The committee has vested interests. One of its members runs an engineering college which has an intake of 600 in mechanical engineering. This is outrageous,” he said.
Retired faculty and former vice-chancellors also voiced their concern over the closure of the KR Circle campus.