Mangaluru: With permission from Veterinary Council of India (VCI) pending, the govt veterinary college at Koila in Kadaba taluk is set to admit its first batch, bringing a long-awaited institution to Karnataka’s coastal region.The Govt Veterinary College has completed its first phase of work. Preparations are now focused on staffing and regulatory clearance to begin first-year classes.The state govt has completed recruitment for key positions required to launch the course, including 13 teaching posts — one professor and two associate professors — and 24 non-teaching staff positions.Dr KC Veeranna, vice-chancellor of Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, told TOI that the university has completed all formalities and is awaiting a VCI inspection. Permission to commence courses is granted only after an inspection that verifies compliance with norms governing infrastructure, staffing, and facilities.He said the VCI team from Delhi is expected to visit the Koila campus by the end of Aug, and the college is ready to start first-year classes once it receives clearance. A follow-up visit will be conducted after two years as part of the regulatory process.On staffing, Veeranna said teaching posts are permanent, while non-teaching staff have been hired on a contractual basis. The state govt has sought approval for 100 seats, subject to VCI sanction.Addressing the mandatory requirement for a livestock farm for clinical and practical training, he said the college will use the Koila farm facility. The state govt has granted permission for this, allowing the college to meet course requirements without duplicating infrastructure.Phase-II development is also under way. The state govt has sanctioned funds for additional construction, including an animal laboratory, postmortem sheds and related facilities.The Koila institution will be Karnataka’s seventh veterinary college. It was announced in the 2012–13 budget by former chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda. The foundation stone for the 247-acre campus was laid in Oct 2016 by the then chief minister Siddaramaiah. Though initially expected to be completed by 2018, the project was finished in April 2023 after a five-year delay. Nearly Rs 136 crore has been spent, and the campus is now poised to begin academic operations once VCI approval is secured.
