From correspondents in Himachal Pradesh, India, 08:30 PM IST

The Himachal Pradesh government has sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention to start an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the state from the current academic session.

In a letter Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said: 'The government is willing to provide all facilities to start an IIT at a temporary location till necessary infrastructure has been created. The government has already identified a piece of land in Mandi district for setting up of the IIT.'

The institute could be started temporarily at the National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, he said.

The central government Thursday decided to set up an IIT in the state to start functioning from 2009 academic session.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)