GUWAHATI:
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati is partnering with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to solve problems like access to water, electricity and internet for the AICTE-affiliated technical institutions in the Northeast.
Appreciating the team for their efforts, IITG director Prof TG Sitharam on August 10 said, “The institute is continuously thriving to forge closer network with institutes in this region for providing knowledge-based support, skill development and technical expertise to improve the overall quality of education and sustainably supporting infrastructure.”
Due to the hilly terrain, most institutions in the region are located in remote places where the supply of adequate power and safe drinking water are a challenge. IIT Guwahati and AICTE will work towards capacity-building in these institutions to promote research and development and enhance the quality of education in remote regions of the Northeast.
Through phase 1 of the project, a total of 416 KW of power has been generated that would help laboratories, offices, and street lights to function uninterrupted. Further, at many institutions drinking water sources were either not adequate or untreated containing significant levels of iron and arsenic. The phase-1 project has facilitated these institutions to improve their water supply and treatment facilities.
This project is the first of its kind in the Northeast in which AICTE and IIT Guwahati facilitates financial and technical expertise to the institutions to provide infrastructure. This includes solar energy installation depending upon the requirements of the institutes and installation or upgrading of facilities for safe drinking water with RO or iron remover.
Highlighting the impact of this project, Prof Sharad B Gokhale, head, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Guwahati said, “This project provides an opportunity for us to enhance the learning environment of the north-eastern technical institutions by facilitating basic infrastructures such as clean water, renewable electricity and communication. The institutes as well as the people will benefit greatly through these enhancements and will empower further growth and development of the region.”
The phase-1 project is scheduled to be completed this month. Phase 2 of the project has just been initiated and will cover 33 new institutions where Internet connectivity would be provided in addition to solar and water facilities.
The steering committee for this project consists of Prof. Gokhale, Prof Gopal Das, Head, Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati, Prof Santosh Kumar Dwivedy, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Guwahati and Prof Chandan Mahanta, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Guwahati.
The project team led by Prof Gokhale consists of Dr Dudul Das, project engineer, IIT Guwahati, Hrishikesh Bhattacharjya, associate project engineer, IIT Guwahati, Dr Rajneesh Kumar, associate project engineer, IIT Guwahati, Arindom Borah, project secretary, IIT Guwahati, Dr Neeraj Saxena, advisor, Institutional Development Cell (IDC), AICTE and Amit K Singh, assistant director, Institutional Development Cell (IDC), AICTE among others.