Agartala, June 27 (TIWN): In a controversial decision, the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Agartala recently decided to dissolve the School of Hydro Informatics Engineering and include it as a subsidiary subject under the Department of Civil Engineering.

A source in the institute today said that in the latest senate meeting of NIT, Agartala held in February this year, the authorities resolved to downscale the School of Hydro Informatics Engineering into a subordinate branch under the Department of Civil Engineering while the former involves integrated benefits of civil, mechanical, computer science etc. The meeting was chaired by Director of the institute Professor Gopal Mugeraya.

The minutes of the NIT Senate meeting held on February 26, 2014 said that all four schools opened for running M.Tech and Ph.D programmes would be merged immediately, before the starting of next academic session, to be more particular with four Departments. The issue gave rise to serious questions on the viability check before the schools were launched at the first place and the standpoint of the authorities now, given the fact that the School of Hydro Informatics Engineering produced the college topper for M.Tech.

The Senate meeting concluded that ‘status of some centres and schools without sufficient faculties and infrastructure such as School of Hydro Informatics, School of Automotive Engineering, School of Seismic Science & Engineering and School of Energy Studies was perused and decision was taken to merge these with related Departments.

The School of Hydro Informatics could be merged with Civil Engineering Department, School of Seismic Science & Engineering would be merged with Civil Engineering Department, School of Autornotive Engineering would be merged with Mechanical Engineering Department and the School of Energy Studies would be merged with the Department of Electrical Engineering according to the decision.

Faculties from the School of School of Hydro Informatics Engineering were deputed as Assistant Professors in the Department of Civil Engineering.

The School of Hydro Informatics ran a 4 semester post-graduate degree with a maximum intake capacity of 15 students. The school started in 2011 alongwith 4 seats for doctoral studies as per NIT norms from the same year.

Six students from the third batch of the M.Tech program from the School of Hydro Informatics Engineering this year.

“Just imagine what would happen if the Bio-technology Department was included under Mechanical or Chemical Engineering Department. They would have no experts in the ‘Bio’ field to teach the subject. That’s exactly what happened to this department. The School of Hydro Informatics Engineering requires a sound knowledge of remote sensing, image processing, etc which the Civil department aren't equipped to deal with”, a faculty of the institute said.