The Hindu Business Line : Petroleum and energy varsity centre in AP

Rajahmundry, Aug. 20 There is a deficiency of qualified personnel in the energy sector, as the pace of oil and gas exploration is being intensified in the country in a booming economy, said Mr V.K. Sibal, Director-General of Hydrocarbons.

At a function in the Godavari Institute of Engineering and Technology at Rajanagaram in East Godavari district on Monday to mark the inauguration of the Rajahmundry centre of the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (Dehradun), Mr Sibal said the Krishna-Godavari basin in Andhra Pradesh was poised to become the leading natural gas producer in the country, with many new finds of late by the ONGC, Reliance and GSPC.

He said, “I have no doubt that the Kakinada-Rajahmundry region in particular will witness a sea change in the years to come and the youth here will have a great opportunity to get themselves trained in the oil and gas fields with the setting up of this branch of UPES.”

‘Huge opportunities’

There may be an investment of $8-9 billion in the sector in the region and “therefore huge opportunities are opening up in the near future.” He lauded the university for setting up the first branch in South India and the third in the country.

Earlier, Mr Parag Diwan, Vice-chancellor of the UPES, said the university was established in 2003 at Dehradun and the UGC had given it recognition. Besides, it had also obtained accreditation from the Energy Institute of the UK. He said a thousand students had graduated from the university and at present 2,000 students are studying in it. A total of 26 courses are being offered and the number of faculty members is 100.

He said that at present five courses were being offered in the Rajahmundry centre of the university and admissions for the current academic year had been completed and the classes would begin on September 1.

More centres planned

He said the university was planning to set up a few more centres in the country and also abroad, in Dubai and some of the African countries such as Nigeria. It would then become a multinational university. He said the syllabi was being prescribed and modified in tune with the needs of the industry.

The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, in a message congratulated the university on setting up the branch in the “oil and gas hub of Kakinada-Rajahmundry.” It presented a great opportunity for the youth in the region, he added.

Mr S.J. Chopra, the Chancellor; Mr G. Surya Rao, the State Minister for Small-scale Industries; and Mr K.V.V. Satyanarayana Raju, Chairman of the Godavari Institute of Engineering and Technology, and several others spoke.

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