IIT is using latest technology for transit campus completion

Tirupati: The prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Tirupati is using new technology to complete the construction of transit campus within a short time. The institute has entered its third year of establishment here. Making significant strides in its journey, it will have a transit campus at the permanent campus site near Yerpedu with an estimated cost of Rs 70 crore. The IIT will house 600 students in hostels and laboratory facilities will be ready by this December.

Highlights:

• Hostels for 600 students and laboratory facilities will be ready by December, says IIT Tirupati Director Prof KN Satyanarayana
• Permanent campus to be built for 2,500 students with an estimated outlay of Rs 1,500-1,800 crore near Yerpedu
• Director says process is going on to recruit 30 faculty members to the existing 15
• Many industries will set up base in and around Tirupati with the presence of IIT
• IIT Tirupati students getting internships in US varsities and companies

For this, they are implementing some fast track construction techniques like using Glass Fibred Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) panels which are eco friendly. Also, steel pre engineered building systems are being used in the laboratories so that the construction can be finished in nine months. “We treat it as a permanent one. In the next stage, we will build the main campus. For that, we are appointing the master plan architect,” said IIT Tirupati Director Prof KN Satyanarayana.

Speaking to The Hans India, he said the permanent campus will be built for 2,500 students with an estimated outlay of Rs 1,500-1,800 crore for which the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was already submitted and is now under the consideration of the Union Finance Minister. The AP government has allotted 530 acres for the institute and the construction of compound wall for the entire site is in progress.

Presently, the IIT is located in a leased building at Chadalawada Educational Institutions on Tirupati-Renigunta road. This year, the first year students will come to third year and they need large equipment relating to civil, mechanical and electrical engineering which cannot be installed in the present campus. The transit campus has to fulfil these needs.

Masters programme will be introduced in the institute from August 2017 in civil and mechanical engineering. The programme for the remaining two branches of computer science and electrical engineering along with PhD programme will start in January 2018. Once all the facilities are available, the present intake of 30 each in the four departments will be increased, the director said. The students are adopting five villages, where they will start working and introduce some technologies for the benefit of villagers.

Though five is a very small number, it’s only a beginning, said Prof Satyanarayana. “We want to create an eco system. Because of the presence of such a big institute here, many industries are coming to set up base here. Many other things too will start functioning which is not immediately tangible,” he opined.

Normally, after third year, students will go for internships. But, in this institute even second year students are going to have internships in India and abroad. Quite a few students are getting internships in American Universities and companies here and other places.

The director added that the research activity will take off in full stream once the new faculty joins for which the process is going on now to appoint 30 more to the existing 15 faculty members. The students are also involving in several cultural activities and they have a lot of clubs like music, cultural, astronomy and photography, he said.

By V Pradeep Kumar