New Delhi: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Friday entered into a pact with Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, to strengthen research and development activities in the road sector.
“This collaboration of MoRTH with IIT-Roorkee will strengthen R&D (Research and Development) activities in road sector and the Chair professor is expected to provide leadership in conducting and coordinating research, development and teaching in the area of development of highway infrastructure,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Indresh Kumar Pandey, Director General- Road Development and Special Secretary, and Manoranjan Parida, Deputy Director and Professor of Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee.
MoRTH Secretary Giridhar Aramane presided over the MoU signing ceremony.
It has been agreed by both the organisations to continue the MoRTH Professorial Chair at IIT-Roorkee “for highway development in the country, to catalyse innovation, research and development in highway sector in IIT-Roorkee and Indian academia, to facilitate or undertake highway studies in IIT-Roorkee and Indian academia on environment and social impacts of highway development projects.”
According to the statement, the move will also help in facilitating or undertaking dissemination of technology upgrades in planning, design, construction and operation and maintenance for highway development through standards, guidelines, seminars, training and user manuals.
Further, the pact would help to find solutions to the practical problems of highways through scientific research by facilitating partnership of MoRTH
with IIT-Roorkee and Indian academia and utilise and expand the highway engineering related resources in IIT-Roorkee and other educational institutions working on highways and all related aspects.
Speaking on the occasion, Aramane said that the government supports the enhancement of quality research through partnerships and mentorship programmes.
This MoU, he said, sets a new benchmark of government-academia partnership that can enhance learning and open up new opportunities for development of faculty in IIT and ministry’s technical officers.
