Shiroda engineering college to increase intake by 120 seats

PANAJI: The Rayeshwar Institute of Engineering and Information Technology (RIEIT) in Shiroda, which has Shiroda MLA Subhash Shirodkar as chairman of the institute’s management, has received approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to add two new streams from the current academic year 2019-20, officials of the directorate of technical education (DTE) said.The institute will now offer mechanical and electrical engineering streams as well, with an intake of 60 seats in each.
The institute is, however, awaiting affiliation for the programmes from Goa University, DTE officials said.
The admission rounds by DTE to engineering seats in the state begins later this month. Goa has altogether 1,300 engineering seats on offer in five engineering institutes. The approval to seats at RIEIT will add 120 seats.
Last year, the state government gave its approval to RIEIT to add the two new streams, based on which it had sought AICTE approval.
Being run by Shirodkar’s Shivgram Education Society, RIEIT had three engineering streams on offer already — information technology, computer engineering, and electronics and telecommunication engineering. Each stream has an intake of 60 seats.
But nearly 50% of the seats at the institute went vacant last year.
Of Goa’s five engineering colleges, RIEIT has not been among the top choices for students.
For the last three academic years, Goa University provided RIEIT only provisional affiliation to admit students. This was based on the varsity’s affiliation inquiry committee’s report. In 2017, GU refused to extend affiliation to the institute unless teachers’ pending salaries were paid. Based on the institute’s assurance that the issues would be resolved, provisional affiliation was provided.