Harcourt Butler Technical University
Engineering school in Kanpur, India From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Engineering school in Kanpur, India From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU), formerly Harcourt Butler Technological Institute (HBTI), is a historical STEM college and technical state-university in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programmes in engineering, technology, mathematics, natural sciences, and applied sciences; as well as master's programmes in computer applications, and business administration. HBTU is also one of the oldest engineering institutes in the country, imparting industrial technology education since 1921.
| |
Former names | HBTI, Harcourt Butler Technological Institute |
|---|---|
| Motto | |
Motto in English | "Work Indeed is Great Austerity" |
| Type | State University (India) |
| Established | 1921 |
| Founder | Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler |
| Accreditation | NAAC A+ Grade |
| Chancellor | Governor of Uttar Pradesh |
| Vice-Chancellor | Samsher |
| Address | Hastings Ave., Nawabganj , Kanpur , Uttar Pradesh , 208002 , India |
| Campus | Urban, 323 acres (131 ha) |
| Language | English |
| Colours | Royal Blue #002366 Sage Green #aac588 Corsa Red #bb0000 |
| Website | hbtu |
It has historical and foundational connections to many institutes and colleges. It is the parent of the National Sugar Institute,[1][2] founded in 1936 as the Imperial Institute of Sugar Technology. In 1937, the Central Control Laboratory of the government started operating out of HBTI, under the charge of Department of Oil Technology. HBTI also housed the offices of Glass Technology (1942–91) and Alcohol Technology (estd. 1953), both running under the Director of Industries (Govt. of UP). It assisted and mentored two new state-government colleges - the Rajkiya Engineering College Bijnor (RECB, started in 2010[3] as BRAECIT), and the Rajkiya Engineering College Mainpuri (RECM,[4] started in 2015). And, when the IIT Kanpur was established in 1959, its classes, starting 9th of August 1960, were initially held in the canteen building of HBTI until IITK had its own campus.[5]
It was one of the 127 technical institutions to receive funding from the World Bank's IDA in TEQIP Phase-I (2004–2009)[6] implemented by NPIU[7] of GoI. The college further received more funding under RUSA, TEQIP-II,[8] and TEQIP-III.[9] The college also takes up R&D schemes sponsored by DST, UGC, ICAR, DRDO (& DMSRDE), CPCB, BARC, CIDA (via SICI[10]), CSIR, DAE, ICMR, DOE, CSTUP, etc.[11]
In early 1900s, there was a growing need for advancement in applied sciences in the United Provinces (erstwhile NWP) of British India. On the initiative of ICS officer Sir Spencer H. Butler, the Industrial Conference in Nainital (1907) summoned by the then Lieutenant-Governor of the province, Sir John P. Hewett, GCSI, KBE, CIE, GCStJ, proposed the establishment of two engineering institutions — one at Roorkee for engineering, and the other at Cawnpore (Kanpur) for industrial Chemistry (in industries of leather, dyeing-n-bleaching, sugar, acid-n-alkali, printing, etc.). Later, Sir Bryce C. Burt, CIE, MBE, FRSA concurred[12] with European industrialists in Kanpur (and the erstwhile[13] Upper India Chamber of Commerce) that the proposed institute should focus on research in applied chemistry, and facilities/courses for special branches made available on an on-demand basis. Furthermore, the Indian Industrial Commission[14] (1916–18) headed by Sir Thomas H. Holland, KCSI, KCIE, FRS, FRSE, DSc, recommended that three-year postgraduate courses be offered by the aforementioned institute - in chemical research, and in oils.
Ultimately, the Government Research Institute, Cawnpore was launched in 1920 as a non-instructing research-only institute. The new institute was headed by Dr. Harold Edward Annett, OBE, FIC, DSc, then the Principal of the Opium Research Laboratory, Cawnpore, of which the new institute was an adjunct. Also, Dr. Edwin Roy Watson, DSc, the famous dye scientist[15] and Professor[16] at Dacca College in Bengal Presidency, was appointed as the Research Chemist, and was further aided by two more Assistant Research Chemists. It was housed in the two rooms of what was then called the Sher Wali Kothi, a majestic building that still stands old at the northern corner of the Company Bagh Chauraha (crossing) near Nawabganj.
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In 1921, with active support from Sir C.Y. Chintamani, the Chief-Editor of The Leader (Allahabad newspaper) who was then also the Minister of Education and Industries, the institute started teaching three-year postgraduate diploma courses, and was rechristened the Government Technological Institute, Cawnpore with Dr. E.R. Watson appointed as the first Principal.[17] On the 25th of November 1921, the then Governor of the United Provinces, Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler, GCSI, GCIE, DL, FRGS, FRAS, formally laid the foundation-stone of the (still present) Main Building, and made the following remarks in his address delivered during the ceremony:
The institute will have two sides, instruction and research. They must operate and energise together. [...] A start will be made with vegetable oils, leather, and tinctorial chemistry. [...] The work of the institute will take time. The professors must be given a reasonably free hand. But they must not lose touch with the world of business and the practical conditions of industry.
We must not stand still. Let our motto be 'on and ever on'. The outlook is favourable. The site of the new institution is within easy reach of the great industrial centre of Cawnpore, rich with capacity and experience. [...] I will set no limits in my imagination to the future progress of Cawnpore or the United Provinces. I will not admit one argument against their destiny.
The first batch (in 1921) comprised of six students - three each in the two sections of General Applied Chemical Research ("Gen Res"), and Oil Chemistry & Technology ("Oil Tech"). Due to lack of infrastructure in Kanpur, they had to be sent to the Govt Technical School (in Lucknow) for a six-month preliminary course in mechanical engineering. The first classes & laboratories were held in two buildings (which later became Forest View Hostel) of the old Govt Soda Factory, and the very first hostel was a Nawab's bungalow in Souterganj, near the Government[18] School of Dyeing & Printing (GSDP, later a constituent[19] of GCTI).
In 1922 the institute moved its operations to the new bungalows in the Luxmanbagh colony - Bungalow No. 1 for "Gen Res", Bungalow No. 2 for workshop (with pilot plant), Bungalow No. 3 for "Oil Tech", and Bungalow No. 4 served as hostel.[17] By 1925, the north-wing of the Main Building was completed, and a temporary hostel was constructed for accommodation behind the central hall. In 1926, under the then Cabinet Minister of Industry, Lt. Col. Sir M.A.S. Khan, Nawab of Chhatari, GBE, KCSI, KCIE, the institute took the name of its patron, and became the Harcourt Butler Technological Institute,[20] though Spencer Butler himself was absent, serving as the Governor of British Burma.
A third section of Leather Chemistry & Technology was started in 1922, but abolished in 1932 on the recommendation of the Mackenzie Committee after GLI Kanpur[21] (formerly GLWS) was firmly established. A course in Tinctorial Chemistry was also considered. In 1924, the Department of Chemistry was established as an entity, and the first batch of six students also all successfully received their PG diplomas in the same year. Though, grading and classification criteria based on test scores was only finalised a year later in 1924-25. A sugar-technology section was started in 1928, but it was taken over by ICAR in 1936 to establish the aforementioned Imperial Institute of Sugar Technology (IIST, now NSI), thereby implementing the recommendations[22] of: Indian Sugar Committee (1920), Royal Commission on Agriculture in India (1928), and Tariff Board (1930).
The Director of Industries (UP) was made the ex-officio Principal in 1932, and an Acting Principal was to be the operational head. Dr. J.A.H. Duke, the then Oil Expert to the Govt. of UP, was appointed as the first Acting Principal of HBTI. Also, the three-year PG course (Dip.Tech.) was replaced by a two-year PG course for an Associateship (A.H.B.T.I.), and a further two years of studies for a Fellowship (F.H.B.T.I.). The first Indian to become the (Actg.) Principal was Dattatreya Yashwant Athawale who officiated from 1937 to 1947, followed by D.R. Dhingra who headed from 1947 to 1957. Industrially critical schemes in Rapeseed oil, Mustard oil, etc. were introduced as part of the Indian war effort in World War II. R&D schemes for Essential Oils, Food, Vegetable, Fibre, Plastics, and Soda Ash were started in 1947, but by 1952 all but the first one were either terminated or amalgamated.[17]
In 1952, on Chief Minister G.B. Pant's initiative, a committee headed by Dr. J.C. Ghosh recommended the reorganisation of HBTI as a university college. They also recommended that IIST (NSI), GCTI (UPTTI), and GLI work as integral parts of HBTI, but it was not implemented. Moreover, AICTE reviews in 1955 and 1958 suggested further reorganisation and introduction of new PG courses. In 1956, separate faculty posts were sanctioned, prior to which teaching was done by Oil Expert, Industrial Chemist, Research Chemist, etc. The post of an in-house Principal was revived in 1957, and Dr. H. Trivedi became the first post-independence Principal of the institute. HBTI was then affiliated to the Agra University in 1958. The AHBTI/FHBTI diplomas were converted to degree courses in 1958: a four-year B.Sc. (Chem. Engg.) to be pursued post I.Sc. (equivalent to Class 12, HSC, PUC, etc.), and a three-year B.Sc. (Tech.) to be done post B.Sc. The first M.Sc. (Tech.) courses were started in 1960. Establishment of an Industrial Research Centre, and appointment of a Head of Oil Technology were also done in 1960, apart from transfer of Essential Oils scheme to the Director of Industries.
On the 26th of March 1965, the Government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP) during the reign of Chief Minister Sucheta Kripalani officially changed HBTI's status to a standalone society-based teaching institution. Accordingly, the organisational structure was reconstituted, like the post of Principal was raised to that of Director, and formation of a Board of Governors for administration. The MIT and SEAS alumni Dr. C.R. Mitra, who was the Principal since 1962, became the first Director of HBTI in 1965, and remained so till 1969 when he was invited by the Indian businessman G.D. Birla to become the director of BITS Pilani.[23] The college affiliation was transferred to the Kanpur University (now CSJMU) in 1967 on the latter's inception. HBTI grew and changed significantly during 1962-69 under a growth-focussed education policy inspired by the Applied Industrial Research Scheme (originally introduced in 1961). Thus, HBTI transformed from an instructor in chemical technologies to a prominent institute of higher education imparting state-of-the-art degrees in various fields of engineering & technology.
In 1991, all B.Sc. (Engg/Tech) courses were changed to four-year B.Tech, and all M.Sc. (Tech) were changed to two-year M.Tech. In 2001, the GoUP established the Uttar Pradesh Technical University (UPTU), and HBTI's affiliation was transferred[24] to it. Later, HBTI was granted the academic autonomy by the University Grants Commission on the 27th of February 2008,[25] the only college in UPTU to be upgraded. On the 1st of September 2016, HBTI was further upgraded to the official status of a state university by the UP HBTU Act, 2016,[26] and thereafter was renamed the Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU).
The university is on the Hastings Avenue in Nawabganj area in the northern outskirts of the metro-city of Kanpur, officially in the Kanpur Nagar district. It is situated between the Kanpur Zoo, and the Company Bagh Chauraha (crossing), about 4 km from the Kanpur Ganga Barrage. It is spread across two campuses – the East campus (74.84 acres), and the West campus (248.64 acres), roughly 3 km apart. The East Campus is primarily academic with accommodation facilities limited to girls, and 1st-year boys only. The West campus is entirely residential & recreational in nature.
The East Campus has its main entrance gate opposite the CSA Univ. of Agriculture & Technology premises on the Agricultural College Lane. The other gate on the opposite side of campus faces the Azad Nagar locality. It is 3 km of the Rawatpur railway station, 3 km from the Rawatpur metro station (on Orange Line), 8 km from the Kanpur Central railway station, and 9 km from the Kanpur Central (Jhakarkati) Bus Station.
The Main Building, in use since 1925, houses the VC office, several administrative offices, classrooms, lecture theatres, lecture halls, a MOOC recording studio, and departments of Chemical Technology (five out of six branches), Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Humanities. Seven other independent buildings house the departments of Chemical Engineering, Computer Science & IT (with the computer centre), Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Leather Technology. The Central Workshop (finished 1957) establishment consists of seven shops: Foundry Shop, Welding Shop, Machine Shop, Sheet Metal Shop, Blacksmithy Shop, Carpentry Shop, and Fitting-&-Benchworking Shop. It once also had industrial grade oil-mill, soap-factory, and manufacturing machines for paint and varnish.
The Tagore Central Library is an independent building. It offers a web-based OPAC catalogue, and is stocked with 83,000+ books, 25,000+ journals & periodicals. The library provides access to e-journals like the ACS, J-Gate Plus (JCCC), IEEE, Springer Nature, and Web of Science database. It offers repository of theses from Shodhganga, and e-books from AICTE e-Kumbh[27] as well as various leading publishers like Pearson, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, Elsevier, McGraw Hill, Cambridge University Press, etc.[28] HBTU also has several e-resources via the E-ShodhSindhu (eSS) Consortium's various subscriptions,[29] like NDLI eBooks, NDLI South Asia archives, web-based CaPD-PDS software (under ShodhShuddhi[30] programme).
This campus also has the buildings of old auditorium, old gymnasium, campus cafeteria, canteen, and the Atal Incubation Hub (GIIEC). It also has the Oil Technologist's Association of India's (OTAI)[31] headquarters, the Council of Leather Exports' (CLE)[32] central regional office, and the Institution of Engineers (India)'s Kanpur[33] Local Centre. Other things include the Garden of Bliss, lawns, badminton court, tennis court, playground for cricket & football, guest house, medical centre, Central Bank of India (CBI) campus branch, and its ATM.
The residential provisions are for six female hostels - Alaknanda Hostel (GH-I), Mandakini Hostel (GH-II), Gangotri Hostel (GH-III), Bhagirathi Hostel (GH-IV, and formerly Lake View III, 'LV New'), Kaveri Hostel (GH-V), and Saraswati Hostel (GH-VI); and two male hostels - Shridharacharya Hostel (Lake View I & II, 'LV Old'), and Ramanujan Hostel. There are also a few residential quarters for the faculty & staff.
The West Campus is on Indra Road, opposite Deen Dayal Nagar locality, and around 1 km from the Gurudev Chauraha (and same name metro station). It is on the other side of the Kanpur Zoo with reference to the East Campus. This land was acquired in 1965 with an ambition to construct a new unified campus for the institute.
The West Campus features several male hostels - Abdul Kalam Hostel (WCH-I), Visveswaraya Hostel (WCH-II), Raman Hostel (WCH-III), Ambedkar Hostel (DBRA-I), Aryabhatt Hostel (DBRA-II), Vishwakarma hostel (WCH-IV), and Vivekanand Hostel (PG). It also has the VC residence, VC camp office, new auditorium (Shatabdi Bhawan), new gymnasium, a multi-purpose hall, a State Bank (SBI) ATM, postal facilities, and several residential quarters for faculty and staff. There are also playing grounds for cricket, football, hockey, basketball, and volleyball.
HBTU is a state-university nominally headed by the Governor of Uttar Pradesh as its ex-officio Chancellor, and is administered by the following structure:
The above-mentioned statutory authorities have their own respective chairperson, secretary, and members. They can be convened for specific functions as per their mandate. The authorities are: Academic Council, Board of Studies, Board of Examinations, and several other Committees (Admission, Grievance, Purchase, Works, etc).[34]
The university is operationally headed by the Vice Chancellor (VC) who is assisted by several officials in the following reporting order:
HBTU is a government-aided state-university for technical UG and PG education specialising in engineering and technology. It is a non-collegiate unitary-type university, i.e., it does not affiliate or administer other colleges or institutes. It is recognised by the University Grants Commission,[35] and is approved by the AICTE for STEM programmes.[36] HBTU holds the NAAC A+ Grade, and the courses are accredited by the NBA.[37]
HBTU offers a wide variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses conferring the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.), Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Master of Computer Applications (MCA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science (M.Sc.), Master of Technology (M.Tech.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees on successful completion.
B.Tech. courses are offered in 13 fields of engineering & technology by their respective departments, as follows (dept start year mentioned): Computer Science & Engineering (since 1984), Information Technology (by CSE Dept.), Mechanical Engineering (since 1964), Civil Engineering (since 1966), Electronics Engineering (since 1990), Electrical Engineering (since 1965), Chemical Engineering (since 1954), and six Chemical Technology (since 1958) branches - Plastic Technology (since 1921), Biochemical Engineering (since 1964), Food Technology (since 1964), Oil Technology (since 1921), Paint Technology (since 1991), and Leather Technology (since 1978)). M.Tech. is offered in 11 of these aforementioned 13 branches (except IT, and Leather Technology). Admissions to the B.Tech. programmes are through the NTA JEE Main exam since 2017 (and previously, SEE-UPTU from 2001 to 2016), and to the M.Tech. programmes are via the JAM exam.
Full-time two-year MBA, MCA, and M.Sc. (in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) programmes are offered at the masters level. The erstwhile STEP-HBTI was established in 1986[38] for running the management programme(s), with STEP being acronym for 'Science & Technology Entrepreneur's Park'. A four-year BS-MS course is also offered in Mathematics & Data Science. Admission to the MBA programme is through the CAT exam (or university entrance exam), the MCA programme is through the NIMCET[39] exam, and the M.Sc. programmes is via the JAM exam & CUET (PG). Admission to the doctoral programmes (Ph.D.) is via the UGC–NET test.
HBTU was a nationally reputed engineering college in India in the 20th century. HBTU struggled for prestige after the IITs, IIITs, and NITs were expanded by the Indian government to a total of ~80 elite STEM colleges. Some old ranking reports are given below:
HBTU successfully completed a century of its establishment as a teaching institution in the year 2021. It also celebrated the 100th anniversary of its Foundation-Stone Laying Ceremony on the 25th of November, 2021. The centennial occasion was officially recognised and commemorated in the Centenary Year Function[53] organised by the university on the very date of anniversary in the presence of the President of India, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, and the Minister of Education (UP).
The following commemorative actions were performed as part of the centenary celebrations:
The Dean (PRG) is in-charge of the Training and Placement (T&P) Cell which is responsible for assisting students in getting the required industrial training and job opportunities. It comprises of admin-staff, and student-members from all branches. It aids in the making and verification of CVs. It also coordinates with interested organisations, and facilitates the hiring process for internships and jobs.
Apart from the academics, the HBTU students can also participate in extra-curricular activities organised by several officially recognised bodies called Sub-Councils. All of them are ultimately governed by an apex body called the University Students Activity Council (USAC) which is headed by a Chairman. All sub-councils have an administrative Convener, and are primarily run by their respective student-members.[61]
The student-bodies can be categories based on their primary function:
Furthermore, there is also a Personality Development Program (PDP) to organize corresponding activities. The departments of engineering and technology also have their own Associations of engineers and technologists to coordinate among their faculty, students, and alumni for various activities as they deem important. These associations have their own intra-departmental conveners, and student-members.
HBTU alumni are popularly known as Harcourtians. They have been known so for a long time, are proud of their alma mater, and share a strong identity.
The alumni can be easily found working in large numbers in the central government services (UPSC CSE/ESE, CPWD, SSC, CAPF, Military CDS, etc), PSUs/PSEs, banks, institutes, colleges, state-government services (UPPSC, UKPSC, etc.), and provincial corporations (State-PWD, DMRC, DDA, UPPCL, UPMRC, etc.). They are also successfully working as engineers & managers in the private sector firms, including all prominent MNCs. Many alumni also go to IITs, IIMs, IISc, or foreign colleges for further education.
Old Boys' Association was the first alumni association of HBTI, founded in the early 1930s, and colloquially called "OBA, HBTI".[62] In 1936, the Sugar Technology was established as a separate institute named IIST, but the association kept operating under the same name, and kept representing both institutes together. After IIST was renamed NSI in 1957, the joint alumni association was also renamed "OBA, HBTI & NSI" to reflect the change. When NSI moved to its own new campus a few km away in 1963, the association still carried on its activities across both campuses. However, the joint association was ultimately broken in 1971, and was again called "HBTI OBA". The association's activities declined after late 1970s.
The currently active Alumni Association, HBTI/HBTU was founded after the OBA went defunct. It organised the first International Alumni Meet in 2005, and does so every year. It enjoys dedicated resources allotted by the institute via the Alumni Cell.[63] HBTU's Alumni Cell is headed by the Dean (PRG) as ex-officio Chairman, and the Associate Dean (PRG) is the ex-officio Member-Secretary in-charge of the alumni affairs. There are three other rotating members - two from faculty, and one from students.
Government
PSUs/PSEs
NGOs
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