Youth groups in Tirupati seek clarity on NIELIT status amid relocation rumours
Hundreds protest in Tirupati over uncertainty surrounding the NIELIT centre, as YSRCP leaders demand details of the DPR for a permanent 15-acre campus.
Hundreds of students, parents and youth activists assembled at a prominent location in Tirupati on Friday, demanding that the government clarify the status of the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) sanctioned to the city by the Union Government.
The demonstration, organised by self-styled Gen-Z groups under the slogan "Cockroach Tirupati", took the form of a protest march that reached the main gate of Sri Venkateswara University.
Extending support to the movement, Member of Parliament Dr. M. Gurumoorthy, MLC Cipai Subramanyam and YSRCP constituency in-charge Bhumana Abhinay Reddy sought an explanation from the government amid talk that the institute was being shifted from Tirupati to Amaravati. The District Collector has since clarified that the centre is not being moved, contrary to the rumours.
Dr. Gurumoorthy recalled the efforts made during the previous YSRCP regime to bring the centre to Tirupati and the plan to train 4,000 to 12,000 local youth in industry-oriented technical skills. He demanded that the government spell out the status of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared for establishing a permanent campus in Tirupati on 15 acres.
Mr. Abhinay Reddy alleged that the National Forensic Science University and the Skill University had also been shifted out of Rayalaseema, which he said posed a significant challenge to the backward region. He maintained that the struggle was for the future of Tirupati students and was not directed against Amaravati.