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The coal hub of Kothagudem, the miners den is soon to be the headquarters of a new district to be carved out of Khammam, is all set to become a major technical education hub with the prestigious  ambitious proposal to upgrade University College of Engineering (Kakatiya University) into a university fast gaining momentum.

The University College of Engineering has a huge  campus spread in about 397 acres in the coal town, considered a huge wide mega industrial hub of the State.

Originally established as Kothagudem School of Mines under the Osmania University jurisdiction during the tenure of the then Chief Minister Jalagam Vengala Rao in 1978, the institute became part of Kakatiya University following promulgation of an ordinance redefining the jurisdictions of the universities in 1995, sources said.

The college subsequently introduced B.Tech (EEE), B.Tech (CSE), M.Sc (Tech) and two self-finance courses in IT and ECE branches apart from the B.Tech (Mining) course. Paucity of funds created severe strain on the finances of the university college over the years.

The students of the university college and the inmates of the college-attached hostel made a series of representations to the authorities and public representatives seeking provision of requisite amenities in the institution.

Responding to their pleas to strengthen the institution, Kothagudem MLA Jalagam Venkat Rao forwarded a proposal to the government seeking upgradation of the university college into a university in tune with the ruling TRS’s pre-poll promise to this effect, sources said. The proposal also envisages transforming the institution into an integrated technical education campus by shifting the Rudrampur-based Government Polytechnic College and the ITI to the premises of the university college.

The government has constituted a committee headed by former Vice-Chancellor of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University V.S. Prasad including the Kakatiya University College of Engineering principal B. Sesha Sreenivas and five others as its members to look into the proposal to convert the college either into a deemed university or a specialised mining university.

The first meeting of the committee is slated to be held at the office of the State Council of Higher Education in Hyderabad on September 9. The panel is expected to deliberate on transforming the institution into an integrated technical education campus, introducing technical education courses relevant to the needs of the local industries, among others.