Post-Fani, IITBBS expedites 2nd-phase expansion work

BHUBANESWAR: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Bhubaneswar has decided to put its second-phase campus expansion work on fast track with the development of grand classrooms, auditoriums, hostels, multi-activity centres, among others, after devastation caused by cyclone Fani on May 3.


The second-phase expansion of

infrastructure

, which has been taken up at a cost of Rs 850 crore, will see an array of developments like construction of about 70 grand classrooms for the students.

“The classrooms will be special in the IIT system. Though the classrooms will be airconditioned, we have also ensured natural ventilation. These are going to be architectural marvel. The construction is already taken up and will be completed in three to four months,” IIT Bhubaneswar director RV Raja Kumar said.

Besides the grand classrooms, the IIT-BBS administrators have also expedited construction of three new school buildings for Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences, Minerals, Metallurgical and Material Engineering and Humanities Studies. At present, it has permanent buildings for four other schools.

“Four schools have the buildings of their own at present while in the second phase, we have taken up construction of buildings for the rest three schools. The existing ones will also be revamped with state-of-the-art facilities,” said Kumar adding IIT Bhubaneswar is making rapid strides in infrastructure development.

Moreover, two new auditoriums are also coming up — one indoor auditorium with a seating capacity for 1,500 people and another open-air auditorium with a seating capacity of 10,000 people. The open-air auditorium will have lawns.

One student activity centre is also being constructed where facilities such as

basketball

court, badminton court and

table tennis

court will be provided to the students. Playgrounds of different varieties are also coming up for sports activities such as

football

and

cricket

apart from the facilities for different athletic activities.

“In 2016, the ministry of human resource development sanctioned Rs 850 crore to the second generation IITs when we came up with a prospective plan for 15 years and started the infrastructure development work. We have adopted all the green concepts in our plan,” the director told TOI.

The infrastructure development work of the premier institute got hampered due to the devastation caused by Fani on May 3, but the institute has got back on its feet to start the redevelopment work.The IITBBS suffered a loss of Rs 8 crore in cyclone Fani.