IIT Guwahati, AICTE to develop solutions for water, electricity issues in Northeast region 

Studying in the NorthEast and struggling to access water, electricity and the internet? The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) is partnering with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to develop solutions to all these problems for council-affiliated technical institutions in the NorthEast region. IIT Guwahati and the 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, as per a report by PTI. 

Phase I of this first-of-its-kind project in the region has already been rolled out. Speaking about the partnership, Professor 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,” as per PTI. 

The steering committee for this project comprises Professor Sharad B Gokhale, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, Professor Gopal Das, Head of the Department of Chemistry, Professor Santosh Kumar Dwivedy, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Professor Chandan Mahanta, Department of Civil Engineering. All of them are from IIT Guwahati. The project team, led by Professor Gokhale, includes experts from the institute as well as AICTE, as per PTI. 

Through Phase I 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 I of the project is scheduled to be completed by this month's end and Phase II 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, as per PTI. 

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.