IIT-Patna: An island of excellence this - The Times of India (original) (raw)

You drive through the gates of this 501-acre campus at Amhara village, near Bihta on the outskirts of Patna, and you find yourself in a different world altogether. This lush-green permanent campus of Indian Institute of Technology-Patna (IIT-P) is currently being decked up for its grand opening by PM Narendra Modi on July 25. The construction work of only phase-I of the project is on the verge of completion though.

For the D-Day a week on, a waterproof 'pandal' that can accommodate a 2000-strong gathering is coming up in front of the administrative building. "The PM will fly into the campus by a chopper for the 75-minute function," IIT-P registrar Subhash Pandey said, adding however that the institute was yet to get the minutes of the programme.

The Patna IIT opened in 2008, operating to start with from a transit campus at Pataliputra Colony. The construction work on its Bihta campus started in December 2012. The phase-I of the project, scheduled to be completed in 18 months, was delayed due to several reasons, including an agitation by farmers who gave land for the project.

Almost a year after its phase-I deadline, however, the campus is ready to host students, staff and faculty members. "The arch-shaped administrative building, three academic blocks for different departments, a tutorial building comprising classrooms and separate civil, mechanical and electrical engineering workshops are ready," said an engineer at work on Thursday.

While the students and faculty members may have to leave the perks of a capital city behind on shifting to Bihta, the very grandeur of the campus will for sure give them a metropolitan feel. The four blocks of boys hostel have 940 single-occupation rooms. There are a common room, a music room and a mess. The entire campus is equipped with Wi-Fi and fire-safety devices, and all the buildings are painted in eye-soothing cream and beige.

The four blocks of the faculty quarters are painted in purple, however. One of these four blocks for now will be used for providing accommodation to 100-odd girl students. The institute director's residence and a hospital are also ready. So are the 2-BHK staff quarters. For uninterrupted power supply, the campus will have a dedicated 33kV electrical line for which a receiving substation and two 11kV distribution substations are ready. Of course, there's a 24-hour power backup in the form of a hi-tech genset. Plus, the electrical fittings are equipped with sensors; that is, if lights, fans or other gadgets are left switched on in locked rooms, they will automatically get switched off.

The centrally-airconditioned buildings are earthquake resistant. In fact, the area is prone to quakes measuring 8 on the Richter scale, but these buildings can resist tremors measuring up to 12. Conforming to the GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) norms, the campus boasts of 25 to 30% green area.

"We tried to keep almost all the trees which existed on the campus; few which had to be felled have been replanted at other places on the campus," an official said, adding the campus would also have at least three small ponds where rainwater would be harvested and boating facilities provided.

The sports zone is ready with separate football and cricket grounds, all fitted with high-mast lights and other utilities. Other playgrounds are also being developed. "This is one of the best-planned IITs with every minor detail from sewerage and water treatment plants to open areas for expansion listed in its Master Plan," the official said, adding the road stretch within the campus measures almost 10km.

A primary school building is also under construction, in which Litera Valley School will be opening a branch. A bank branch is also part of the plan. The marketplace with 24 shops will be ready in the next six months while the girls' hostel, an auditorium, a meditation centre, a children's park, a lotus-shaped library and several other facilities are likely to come up in the next few months. Beside the marketplace lies a huge plot for a mall to come up in future.

However, the saplings planted on the campus will take a few years to blossom into trees; so will the campus to turn into the swanky township as envisaged in its Master Plan.