Sambalpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the permanent campus of Indian Institute of Management, Sambalpur ((IIM-S) at Basantpur, on the outskirts of Sambalpur, on December 24.
Speaking to the media, IIM-S director Mahadeo Jaiswal said that they had received an intimation in this regard from the Prime Minister’s Office. “We can confirm about thePM’s visit only after receiving the official letter,” he said.
Senior BJP leader Mohan Majhi also hinted at PM Modi’s visit to Odisha by December-end while speaking to reporters on Tuesday. “The PM may attend a programme in western Odisha,” he said, adding that Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda are scheduled to visit the state between December and January next year.
PM Modi had last visited Odisha in June this year to inspect the triple train accident site in Balasore district and take stock of the relief operations.
The permanent campus of IIM-Sambalpur, the foundation stone for which was laid by the PM through virtual mode on January 2, 2021, has been built over an area of 200 acre at a cost of Rs 401 crore with National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited as the project management consultant.
According to IIM-Sambalpur website, the newly built state-of-the-art buildings reflect an eclectic mix of the traditional IKAT—a patterned textile-dyeing technique and a significant part of Sambalpur’s history and culture – mapped onto the brick facade with remarkable elegance. These include academic building, student academic centre, hostel block, auditorium, health centre, guest house and canteen besides residences of Director, faculty and staff quarters.
Jaiswal had earlier said that Odisha’s art and culture, including the wheel of Konark temple and Sambalpuri fabric, will be seen in the buildings of the permanent campus. Only battery-operated vehicles will be allowed to ply inside the campus where priority will be given to solar energy, he added.
Initially, the B-school operated from a privately-run institution, Silicon Institute of Technology, campus at Sason area.