Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, has announced that launch of its third campus in India at Hyderabad.

Prof S Venkateswaran, BITS vice-chancellor, performed the bhoomi pooja for the Hyderabad campus, spread over 200 acres of land at Jawaharnagar near Shamirpet in Rangareddy district, on Ugadi day (Telugu new year).

Minister for Higher Education P Venkateswara Rao and Minister for Mines & Geology P Sabita Indra Reddy were present.

The vice-chancellor said that BITS would invest Rs 160 crore for setting up the Hyderabad campus and would replicate all the salient features of the present education system at Pilani.

The need for opening a third campus of BITS has arisen to accommodate the ever-increasing demand of meritorious aspirants in the country, he said, and pointed out that BITS has emerged as one of the important technologies universities not only in India but throughout the world.

The Hyderabad campus would have 13 different faculties with an overall intake of 600 students per year. BITS has proposed to commence the academic session at Hyderabad campus from the academic year 2007-08. By that time, all the basic requirements would be completed.

He made it clear that there would be no quota for the local students and merit would be the sole criteria for admission. Introduction of pharmacy faculty would be an added feature at Hyderabad. Prof V S Rao would be the director of BITS campus at Hyderabad.

Complimenting the students from Andhra Pradesh, Prof Venkateswaran said that many students who qualified for admission at Pilani hailed from this state. He also thanked the Andhra Pradesh government for providing all help to BITS for establishing its campus at Hyderabad.