Training

Expansion on course

The Army Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology has expansion plans lined up. Preeti Kannan reports

Taking quality education to greater heights, the Army Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology (AIHM &CT), Bangalore, established in 1996, is implementing an expansion by constructing a state-of-the-art hotel management institute.

To be located at Krishnarajapuram, one of the fast developing locales in eastern Bangalore, the new structure will be spread over 12.5 acres of land at a cost of over Rs 21 crore. The entire cost of the project is being borne by the Army Welfare Education Society that has about 13 education institutions under its tutelage. The two lakh square feet area will include academic blocks, hospitality and practical training outlets, hostel and staff accommodation, amphi-theatre and a full-fledged hotel on par with four-star standards and a health club.

Prof. Arun Kumar Nambiar, principal, AIHM &CT, said, "The existing campus in the army area was taken on rent and that is one of the main reasons we wanted to start this whole project. The new integrated college is going to be a self-owned structure." He expects the college to start operating by July 2006. All professional courses are available in these institutions that cater to both army and civilian families.

Bearing in mind design parameters like transparency of structure, and balance and connectivity between the various units of the campus, the layout is conceived with various colonnades. The interface between the internal circulation of the corridors and the external circulation of the roads is delicately transformed through landscaped areas. "The whole of the colonnaded network of buildings is an idea that was retrieved from the architecture at Hampi," says Prof. Nambiar. While construction and technical details are being taken care of by the Military Engineering Services (MES), private architects in Hyderabad have been appointed for the interiors.

Facilities

• 100 per cent residential accommodation for students and faculty. Hostel facilities include a total of 300 beds with interchangeability of the boys and the girls blocks.
• Undergraduate and post graduate programmes.
• Other academic courses/ facilities offered to include:
  • Pastry college
  • Flair school (A branch of Bar & Beverage Dept.)
  • Bakery unit
  • Maritime catering
  • Pre-sea courses
• Amphi-theatre
• Covered parking
• Sewage treatment plant
• Incinerator provided for solid waste disposal
• Rainwater harvesting pits
• Solar water heaters
• Principal's bungalow

The management is also considering tie-ups with foreign universities in the United Kingdom. Capitalising on being a hotel management institution, the bakery division is expected to be one of the main sources of income for the institute. "Since our baking unit is quite large and comprehensive, we are soon going to undertake catering of bread packets (similar to a packet of Modern Bread supplied by HLL currently) to the army personnel in Bangalore. The turnover from such supply alone will be over Rs 1.25 lakh per annum," says Prof. Nambiar

"The geographical edge that we have will also enhance catering services to the nearby industrial companies. ITPL, the IT capital of Bangalore, is located few kilometers from our college. Our presence might throw in new avenues to catering to corporates and other companies," he adds. The college is also looking at revamping its staff to ensure that the best of education is being imparted to the students.