11 years on, NIIFT, Jalandhar, likely to start admissions this year

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 7

Nearly 11 years since the Department of Industries had acquired the site for Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology (NIIFT) at the Guru Gobind Singh Avenue, classes for BSc (Fashion Technology) may finally start in this academic year.

But even now, it is only the academic wing of the building which is ready while the construction work of the administrative block is still on. Since classes will most likely be held through online mode in the first semester, the officials intend to operate from the academic block as of now and are expecting construction work to be over by then.

The department is also yet to recruit staff for beginning teaching work for 30 students. A team of IKG Punjab Technical University has already conducted inspection here this week and an approval for affiliation and a formal notification for starting admission in the course are still to come.

The project was started in 2009 during the tenure of then local BJP MLA and Minister Manoranjan Kalia. The construction work was started at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 9 crore by the Punjab Small Industries Export Corporation but as the project got late, more funds were required which left the project hanging.

Residents of the area, including industrialist Rajan Gupta, repeatedly approached the local Congress MLA to get the project started for which an additional grant of Rs 1.85 crore was required, which took some time to be released. While the project went into a limbo, the government had already started admissions expecting construction work to be over soon. Classes were started temporarily in the campus of Government Tanning Institute on Nakodar Road that did not have any required set up. The course could continue for only few years as only 15-20 students took admission, who had to pass out with no proper practical training and no-hands on experience provided by the government. The institute, sans any infrastructure of its own, kept levying Rs 68,900 per semester as fee.

Poonam Aggarwal, Director, NIIFT, Mohali, who has additional charge of Jalandhar, said, “After all the initial hiccups, we are finally relieved that things have fallen on track. “We are expecting affiliation any time which will enable us to start our classes in this semester. Our academic block is completely ready with fittings in place. Appointment of faculty too would be done soon.” IKGPTU Vice Chancellor Dr Ajay Sharma too confirmed that inspection had been done and further documentation would be followed.

Work delayed for want of funds

• The project was started in 2009 during the tenure of the then local BJP MLA and Minister Manoranjan Kalia.
• The construction work was started at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 9 crore by the Punjab Small Industries Export Corporation but as the project got late, more funds were required which left the project hanging
• Classes were started temporarily in the campus of Government Tanning Institute on Nakodar Road that did not have any required set up.
• The course could continue for only few years as only 15-20 students took admission, who had to pass out with no proper practical training and no-hands on experience provided by the government