HYDERABAD | Oct 25, 2016: Plans are afoot to establish a mining university in the state with the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) proposing to convert the University College of Engineering in Kothagudem into a full-fledged university.

The proposal had been pending for long with chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who had assured Kothagudem MLA Jalagam Venkata Rao ahead of polls that he would upgrade the college, affiliated to Kakatiya University, into a varsity."With Kothagudem being the only coal mining hub in the South, there is a need to set up a technological university with a focus on mining, minerals and other science and technical disciplines. We aim to produce industry-ready graduates who have first-hand understanding of coal mines and other natural resources in the district," the MLA told TOI.

A meeting had been convened by the TSCHE and a seven-member committee, headed by BR Ambedkar Open University's former vice-chancellor V S Prasad, to look into possibilities of establishing a specialised technological university at Kothagudem. The committee recently held spot assessments of the 397-acre campus to inspect the infrastructure there as well as other facilities. Committee members said Kothagudem was an ideal location to establish a university on account of it being a coal mining hub.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)