Processing .....please wait.. 
The article has been forwarded.... 
Realty crunch: IIM-B to try off-campus housing
By siliconindia
|
Saturday, 01 November 2008, 17:37 IST |
5 Comments
Bangalore: Indian Institute of Management - Bangalore (IIM-B) now finds it difficult to expand their infrastructures as a result of real estate crunch. The institute has decided to take 50 apartments (150 rooms) on lease in a residential building called Ajmera Complex to accommodate additional students from the next academic year, reported Business Standard.
Other IIMs also are expected to follow this strategy later.
IIM-B is planning to lodge students from the one-year full time Executive Post Graduate Program in Management (EPGP) to be launched in April 2009-in the leased apartments. PG students and doctoral program students are also expected to be accommodated in such facility.
Bus service from the campus premises to the off-campus housing would be provided. "Unless we experiment, we wouldn't know if this is the way ahead," said Pankaj Chandra, Director of IIM-B, on the initiative.
An IIM Review Committee led by Maruti Suzuki India Chairman RC Bhargava had recently suggested that IIM faculty and administrative staff residences could be moved to off-campus sites, and accommodation bought or rented there so that "the existing infrastructure could be more intensively used".
Chandra also mentioned "The institute had received Rs 29 crore from the human resources development (HRD) ministry for the OBC quota expansion, but the overall expenses of accommodating new faculty and students is expected to be much higher than that. Subsequently, the institute is keenly looking at financial support from corporate houses and alumni."
While IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Lucknow have two campuses, IIM-B has not had any major construction activity in the last 10 years. "The institute has taken up the off-campus option despite plans to commission some construction from this December. The institute has hired an architect for a new hostel facility, 10 classrooms and 24 faculty homes," Chandra added.
Over 950 students are presently doing various programs in IIM-B and the number of students in the PGP and doctoral program is expected to go up from 640 to 690, the Post Graduate Program in Public Policy and Management (PGPPM) will have an increased intake of 63 from 33, and the one-year EPGP is expected to have 75 seats, making it an intake of 150 new seats at the campus.
