MHRD ranks colleges on the basis of various aspects besides academics. One of them is infrastructure. Unfortunately, NIT Calicut has a poor infrastructure in comparison to other engineering colleges. Weak administrative measures are to blame for this. The college authorities are not utilizing the funds provided by the central government to the fullest extent.
We can only hope that the infrastructure and other facilities at NIT Calicut improve. If this happens, the rankings of NITC will also improve.
As some of my friends are from NIT Calicut, I might be able to share some information about the college I gathered from them.
If you think that the drop in the rankings is because of the quality of education, faculty, or placements, let me assure you that it is not. Because NIT Calicut is still considered among the top 4 NITs.