Goemkarponn desk
PONDA: After Government had suspended admissions to the degree programme in mining engineering at Goa Engineering College (GEC), Farmagudi, from 2019-20, the GEC now is hoping to restart Mining Engineering degree programme from the year 2021-22.
Mining Engineering Course was suspended following inadequate response from students after mining closure in Goa.
However, as there are many job opportunities in changing scenarios, the GEC wishes to restart the degree programme from 2021-22.
It may be recalled that the Mining Engineering education was started at GEC with the initiative of one mining company which had almost invested Rs 22 crore with full-fledged laboratories and equipment in 2011 and was inaugurated by then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and then PWD Minister and local MLA Sudin Dhavlikar.
It is learnt that this is the only College in the Western India region providing Mining Engineering education.
According to sources, after pursuing mining engineering degree programme, there are a lot of job opportunities in Government civil service as well as in other states, especially after the 2019 Central Government circular for every kind of mining extraction, whether it is ore, sand, gravel, laterite stone etc.
As per the circular, the Centre had made it mandatory to employ mining Engineers by Contractors doing excavation activities.
Further, as with the reports of the formation of Mining Corporation in Goa, the demand for the course would grow.
Further, besides Goans, students from outside the state are showing interest to join mining engineering.
According to Sources in GEC, after starting Mining Engineering with 30 students batch in 2011 at GEC it got a full response from Goans and students from other states for initial two years, it continued for seven years; however, since 2015, the response was poor, and after mining closure, the response for mining engineering courses was diminished in 2018, and since then for three years Mining Engineering program was suspended. The intake capacity for the mining course is 60 students.
However, with some mining companies showing a willingness to sponsor and bear the fees of economically backwards students for pursuing mining engineering education and government cooperation, the GEC is trying to start the Mining Engineering Course for the year 2021-22. Sources said the interested students from Goa and other states should contact at College for pursuing mining engineering.
Marcaim MLA Sudin Dhavlikar said he would write a letter to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the next two days, also education minister and Director of Technical Education, to restart the suspending Mining Engineering Course at GEC.
