Odisha government today set aside its earlier recommendation of setting up the proposed IIM here and sought to establish the premium management institute at Sambalpur, if the Centre relaxes norms.
"If the Central government is willing to relax the guidelines for site selection, the state government strongly recommends Sambalpur in western Odisha as the location of the IIM, Odisha," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to Union Minister of Human Resources Development, Smriti Zubin Irani.
Patnaik's letter to Irani was in response to a recent letter from the HRD Ministry where it sought opinion of the state government for setting up of the IIM in western Odisha, particularly in Sambalpur region.
The state government had earlier selected Bhubaneswar as, according to HRD ministry's guideline, location of an IIM should be close to an airport.
Patnaik said the HRD's guidelines had, in fact, restricted the state government's choice due to lack of airport facility in any other place than Bhubaneswar.
