'THE CAMPUS IS AMAZING'

Four new IIMS - Bodh Gaya, Sambalpur, Jammu and Visakhapatnam - have found their permanent homes and they are beautiful, environment friendly and efficient campuses. Here's a quick tour.

- Atul Krishna

Despite being established in 2015, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) in Bodh Gaya, Sambalpur, Jammu, and Visakhapatnam were functioning in temporary campuses for nearly a decade. That is until 2024, when all four IIMs inaugurated their new permanent campuses.

Till now, these IIMs were limited in their ability to expand programmes, increase student intake and research collaborations, due to the smaller temporary campuses. Now, the new campuses pave the way for expansion and in the right way. It's not just about glitzy infrastructure but the newly-built campuses are far more energy efficient and ecologically sensitive. Plus, they'll help attract new students.

In 2018, the Government of India had approved Rs 2,800 crore for permanent campuses for seven new IIMs all set up in 2015. These include IIM Nagpur, which inaugurated its new campus in 2022, and IIM Amritsar and Sirmaur - both yet to move into new campuses.

With solar farms, latest sewage management systems, incubators and high-tech classrooms, these IIMs now hope to hold their own in the competition for the best students.

More facilities, expanding student intake

For the newer IIMs, the temporary campuses didn't just limit student intake but also imposed severe constraints on research collaborations, new programmes, and ability to hold conferences and networking through them.

"The temporary campus limited our ability to expand various programmes due to its inability to accommodate a large number of students. For instance, hosting significant conferences and events proved unfeasible; scope of research initiatives and collaborations remained limited due to spatial constraints. Moreover, the absence of a permanent campus complicates the establishment of an organisational identity, which is crucial for the effective development of a brand," said Mahadeo Jaiswal, director, IIM Sambalpur.