IIT-G, AICTE to develop solutions for water, electricity issues

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, is partnering with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to develop solutions to problems of accessing water, electricity, and internet for the council-affiliated technical institutions in the North East region.

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 parts of this region, a press release issued by the premier institute said. The first phase of this first-of-its-kind project in the region has already been rolled out.

Speaking on the partnership, Prof TG Sitharam, director of IIT-Guwahati, said, "IIT 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 supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner."

The steering committee for this project comprises Prof Sharad B Gokhale, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, Prof Gopal Das, Head of the Department of Chemistry, Prof Santosh Kumar Dwivedy, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Prof Chandan Mahanta, Department of Civil Engineering. All of them are from IIT-Guwahati. The project team, led by Prof Gokhale, includes experts from the institute as well as AICTE. 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. Institutions have also been provided with facilities for improving the quality of water supply in the first phase.

Phase-1 project is scheduled to be completed by this month end and Phase-2 has been initiated and will cover 33 new institutions where internet connectivity would be provided in addition to solar and water facilities, the release said. During the first phase of this project, 27 institutions received funding of Rs 5.4 crore for the installation of solar power plants and 16 institutions received funding of Rs 1.92 crore for water treatment facilities, it said.