GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC LUCKNOW

Government Polytechnic Lucknow, known as GP Lucknow or GPL, traces its origins to 1892 when it was sanctioned and opened as the Government Industrial School by Sir Auckland Colvin, following a committee recommendation to establish such a school in Lucknow or Allahabad. Initially located at Bans Mandi Chauraha near Lucknow Charbagh railway station, it trained children of artisans and railway employees, later preparing students for Thomason College of Civil Engineering in Roorkee. In 1907, an Industrial Conference convened by Sir John P. Hewett recommended upgrading the school to technical level, leading to its transformation into the Government Technical School in 1911. The institution expanded between 1913 and 1915 with new courses, including mechanical apprentice classes transferred from Thomason College, and by 1916 had 111 enrolled students. After Indian independence, it was renamed Government Polytechnic Lucknow in 1961 and relocated to its present site at Polytechnic Chauraha, about 12 km from Lucknow Junction. Today, it offers post-HSC non-degree courses, including a three-year architectural assistantship program, three-year non-graduate diploma courses in various engineering fields, and one-year postgraduate diploma courses. It is affiliated with the Uttar Pradesh Board of Technical Education and the All India Council for Technical Education.