Daijiworld Media Network - Dharwad (RJP)

Dharwad, Sep 10: The people of twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad celebrated as soon as the news from the Union government selecting Dharwad to set up a new Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) reached them.

BJP MLA Aravind Bellad who was leading a campaign for IIT in Hubballi-Dharwad said that they have received an official communication from the ministry of Human resources development.

Karnataka had recommended Dharwad, Raichur and Mysuru. Mysuru even though was technically more competent, lost out to Dharwad for political as well as some other reasons.

BJP party sources said that lobbying by Union minister H N Ananth Kumar, opposition leader in the assembly Jagadish Shettar, Prahlad Joshi and Aravind Bellad worked in its favour. The leaders had made a strong pitch to the search committee in a presentation prepared by deputy commissioner P Rajendra Cholan and IAS officer P Manivannan.

A committee headed by former ISRO chairman UR Rao had submitted its report recommending an IIT in Hubli-Dharwad in 1998.

Required land of 500 acres for the project has been identified by the Dharwad district administration near Mummigatti on the Pune-Bengaluru national highway near Dharwad.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced an IIT for Karnataka in his budget address in March ending a 17-year wait for the state.

Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other organisations took out a procession in major streets of the city to show their happiness regarding the arrival of IIT in Dharwad.