Alumni, heritage foundation to raise ₹120 crore to build new hostel complex for IIT-Bombay students – Hindustan Times

Students of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) will soon get a new 1,000-1,500-room hostel, thanks to the institute’s alumni association and heritage foundation.

On Wednesday IIT-Bombay signed a partnership agreement with its alumni organisations — Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Alumni Association (IITBAA) and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Heritage Foundation (IITBHF) — to fund, design and build a new world- class hostel complex. Under this partnership agreement, IITBAA will be primarily responsible for all funding, design, construction and project management activities. Alumni will help build this hostel complex that will replace the existing site that houses H7 and H8 on IIT-Bombay campus.

In a statement issued Thursday, the institute said, “IIT-Bombay reached out to its alumni to support the institute in its quest to provide world-class facilities to its students to promote the best learning environment. Responding to the request, a group of volunteers have come together for planning, fundraising, and implementation of the new hostel complex. This is the first of its kind project wherein alumni of IIT-Bombay will seek to raise ₹120-135 crore and take the lead role in project planning and implementation. The new hostel complex will come up in the old location of H8.”

The institute has been facing a space crunch to house its students. In the past two decades, the number of students on campus has increased from 3,000 to over 10,000. With limited infrastructure funding and infrastructure, IIT-B has been looking to upgrade its living infrastructure. Last year, IIT-B tied up with student housing start-up, Your Space, to accommodate its students by booking 80 beds with the start-up which offers co-living spaces to students in various parts of the country.

In addition to wings for male students, it will also have a wing for the growing number of women students at IIT-Bombay, the institute said. Zenobia Driver, Class of 1998, H10, said, “It is a matter of joy and pride that more and more girls are choosing STEM as their career. IIT-Bombay has undertaken several initiatives to promote gender diversity. The new hostel complex is another step in this direction”.

Subhasis Chaudhuri, director of IIT-Bombay, said, “Students are the essence of all academic institutions. IIT-Bombay has been recognised as an ‘Institution of Eminence’ owing to the hard work put in by the best and brightest of the country. We strive to provide world-class learning as well as living atmosphere to our students. We are grateful to our alumni for taking the stewardship role in building the new hostel complex which is the need of the hour. IIT-Bombay sincerely thanks IITBHF and IITBAA for the roles that they have played over the years in various initiatives of the Institute”.

Kirat Patel, Class of 1975 and a resident of H8, said, “IIT-Bombay’s alumni have always supported the institute’s goals and vision. We have full faith that they would come forward to help us yet again in this pioneering initiative. Together, we can create world-class hostels for our students, who are the future of our country”.

DC Agrawal, Class of 1969 and President IITBHF, said, “IIT-Bombay students deserve the best facilities to compete in the current global environment. We are determined to help build a hostel complex that is consistent with IIT-Bombay’s goals of being a leading world-class Institute”.