Demand for government engineering college in Namakkal grows louder

There is a growing demand for a government engineering college in in Namakkal district, which is known for its schools and private engineering colleges.

As per data available with the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA-2026), Namakkal district has 20 private engineering colleges, more than what even bigger districts such as Salem does, but Namakkal does not have a single government engineering college.

T. Prabakaran, an engineering graduate, said that in Namakkal district, the annual fees for important engineering courses, including civil, mechanical, ECE, EEE, and IT range between ₹65,000 and ₹2 lakh at private colleges. “How can a student from a poor family or a government school student afford to study in these colleges without obtaining an educational loan? In Salem Government Engineering College, the first year fee for all the courses per annum is ₹14,130 for BC students, ₹12,130 for SC/ST students and ₹14,830 for other State students. From the second year, the fee is reduced by ₹4,000-₹5,000. So within ₹50,000, a student can obtain an engineering degree from a government college,” he said.

In private institutions on the other hand, a student cannot not even complete one year with ₹50,000, Mr. Prabakaran added.

Former president of the Association of University Teachers (AUT-Tamil Nadu) K. Pandiyan said there is a government engineering college in Salem and another in Erode, which are around 50 km from Namakkal district. “What stops the government from establishing a government engineering college in Namakkal district? In 2020, the AIADMK government took steps to establish one in Namakkal. But as usual, the “strong forces” that will be affected if a government college is established [in Namakkal district] successfully stopped the move,” he alleged.

When contacted, former Minister P. Thangamani said that at the end of the AIADMK regime in 2020-2021, land was identified for a government engineering college at Komarapalayam Assembly Constituency. The government planned to construct an engineering college at ₹55 crore (60% Union government fund and 40% State government fund) but the DMK, which came to power in 2021, put this project in abeyance, Mr. Thangamani alleged.