Big push to set up Energy University in Anantapur

Anantapur: Hectic efforts are on to set up an Energy University (EU) in the district and to commence graduate and postgraduate courses from this academic year itself.

Recently former chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) S S Nantha, who was appointed consultant of the university, had visited the district and studied the possible places where the university could be located in a temporary accommodation.

He visited certain campuses of private engineering colleges which had downed shutters for lack of students and also the local JNTUA and SKU campuses and discussed the issue with the Vice-Chancellors who had offered their campuses for hosting the university. Prof Nantha sent a report to the state government for its final decision on establishing the university in temporary buildings.

Once the government gives its nod, steps will be taken by District Collector G Veera Pandian to launch the university and call admissions into PG and graduate courses. Initially about 800 seats are to be thrown open to students for the identified courses.

According to sources in the Energy department, the Centre would give an initial grant for buildings and infrastructure creation and later they hand it over to a consortium of green power companies which are abundant in Anantapur and Rayalaseema districts.

All the solar and wind power companies operating in the region will have financial stakes in the running of the university which is being planned as a world class university. The former chairman of the AICTE who built a world class AICTE campus at a cost of Rs 200 crore in Delhi would build the university on the same lines in the district.

The Energy University promised to district is expected to give a further fillip to the government's strategy to create a non-conventional energy circuit with Anantapur, Kurnool and Kadapa districts. About 150 acres of land in Penukonda had been handed over to the consortium of public and private sector companies to execute the project under the PPP mode. Major stake holders include AP Transco, AP Genco, private power major Suzlon and others.

Sources said that parties having stakes in the university establishment are expected to share Rs 30 to Rs 35 crore each. About Rs 100 crore will be pumped in under the PPP mode for the varsity establishment. In the first phase, undergraduate courses will be introduced on tapping of non-conventional energy and future development which includes research work on updating technology and cost-effective solar panels manufacturing technology to bring down the cost of solar power projects.

Promoters of solar and wind power projects have expressed hope that the Energy University will be a boon to Rayalaseema districts where several non-conventional energy projects are functioning and described them as a 'Green Corridor.'

CM to visit Anantapur today

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will be visiting Anantapur for the 29th time in a span of 4 years on Monday to offer 'Jala Harati' at Turakalapatnam tank which received Krishna water. The Chief Minister will arrive by a special flight at Puttaparthi airport by 11 am on Monday and will reach Turakalapatnam village in Roddam mandal by helicopter.

By Ravi P Benjamin