Odisha To Set Up Second Campus Of XIM At Rourkela under political Compulsion

By B.Maharana

05 March,Bhubaneswar (odibizinfo)

In an attempt to nutralise the controversy over shifting of the proposed Indian Institute of Management from Bhubaneswar to Sambalpur, the Odisha government has decided to set up the second campus of Xavier Institute of Management (XIM) at Rourkela in tribal dominated Sundergarh district of the state.

This was decided at a high level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik .

The Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) under SAIL has assured to provide all required support to the proposed second campus of the XIM in the steel city, the official sources said.

Ahead of elections to the Sambalpur municipal corporation in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on March 2 last had recommended the Centre to shift the proposed Indian Institute of Management (IIM) from Bhubaneswar to Sambalpur on the plea of relaxed guidelines.
Earlier, the state government following the HRD ministry’s guidelines, had recommended setting up the proposed IIM in Bhubaneswar and a location was also finalized for the prestigious institute.

The revised decision of the Government had evoked chain of protests and people and organizations in cities like Berhampur, Rourkela demanded the setting up of the IIM in their respective areas . .

The protest in Rourkela has its political significance for the fact that the election to the newly carved out steel city Municipal Corporation would be held along with Sambalpur-Burla Municipal Corporation. And both the towns are in Western Odisha. More over, the Rorkela movement demanding IIM is being led by former Union Minister and at Present BJP MLA Dillip Ray.