Speaking at the 11th convocation of BESU on Monday, M Anandkrishnan, chairman, Board of Governors of IIT-Kanpur, said BESU is among the top state universities in the country, which can be developed into a world class university.

“BESU is not a carbon copy of an IIT. It is a different university,” said M Anandkrishnan. A few years ago, a committee, headed by Anandkrishnan, had recommended the granting of the IIEST status to the BESU.

Another member of the committee, and a former director of the IIT- Kharagpur, Amitava Ghosh, said: “We recommended the upgradation of the BESU considering that with its potential it can be converted into a Central institute.”

BESU Vice-Chancellor N R Banerjea expressed hope that the university would soon be accorded the Central status. In December 2007, the Centre had agreed to grant the IIEST status to the 150-year-old technical institute but the process is yet to materialise into action.

State Higher Education Minister Sudarshan Roy Chowdhury has written twice to the Centre for upgradation of the institute. In the last few years, the BESU V-C has led a number of delegations to the Centre, without much success on this issue.