Panaji, June 14 (Agencies): In a major blow to students aspiring to get into an IIT, the government has announced that admissions to IIT-Goa will not be conducted from the academic year 2015-16 as the site for the permanent campus has not yet been finalised. This is a big disappointment for many students from Maharashtra who fancied getting into IIT-Goa due to its proximity to home.

According to a release issued through the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B), “The newly announced Indian Institute of Technology in Goa will not be able to admit students for the 2015-16 academic session since the site for the permanent campus has not been finalised yet. Therefore, the government has decided that the first academic session of IIT Goa will now commence from 2016-17, subject to the site for permanent campus being approved by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in accordance with the recommendations of the Site Selection Committee.”

Soon after the Union HRD ministry allotted an IIT to Goa along with six other cities, it was decided that till such time as the permanent location of the new IIT was not decided, IIT-Goa would operate out of the campus of Goa Engineering College (GEC).

While initially, the institute would have only 90 seats offering courses in three streams i.e. electrical, mechanical and computer engineering, the seats would be increased once the institute shifted to the new campus after four years.

However, now that the government had said that admissions would start next year, it was to be seen whether it would be in GEC or any other institute with sufficient infrastructural capacity to accommodate another institute temporarily.

Students from Maharashtra and their parents who had already made up their mind to seek admission in IIT-Goa due to its proximity to home said they were shattered. “As only merit-listers get into IIT-B, we had made up our mind to send our son to IIT-Goa for the electrical engineering course. I did not want my son to go far from us but as Goa is closer, we took the decision to let him go and study there,” said Sunil Patil, a parent and resident of Sangli. He added that with admissions to IIT-Goa to start only next year, he would now send his son to a local engineering college in Sangli itself.

“We will try in IIT-B but as my son’s chances are slim, I will admit him to Walchand College,” said Mr Patil.

Walchand College is one of the top engineering colleges in western Maharashtra and will be admitting students to its courses based on the JEE (main) scores. Admissions to IITs will be conducted based on JEE (advanced) scores.