By Dr Md Aynal Haque

RAJSHAHI, Jan 14, 2024 (BSS) - Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) has started getting a new look amid massive infrastructural developments during the last 15 years.

During the period from 2009 to 2016, various demand-driven infrastructures, including administration building and architecture building, male and female halls, student welfare complex, guest house, teachers and officers' quarters and library buildings, were constructed at a cost of around Taka 44.37 crore.

In addition to providing sufficient infrastructure facilities to the teachers and students the development works ensured residential accommodations to the male and female students.

Side by side with providing training and higher education and research facilities for teachers the physical infrastructures enhanced library facilities to both students and teachers.

Eleven new ten-storey buildings are being constructed on the RUET campus at present aimed at further developing the campus area to provide improved facilities for the teachers, researchers, students and others concerned.

The present government has approved a project involving Taka 599.30 crore for construction of necessary physical infrastructures and equipment installation for quality improvement of education and research in RUET.

The high-rise buildings are being constructed simultaneously under the project being implemented by University Grants Commission and RUET initiated by the Department of Secondary and Higher Education under the Ministry of Education.
 
Some other infrastructure development works are also being implemented under the five-year project titled "Further Development of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (Revised)".
 
Main thrust of the project is to enhance and broaden the facilities for higher research and training for the development of skilled manpower in order to meet up the gradually mounting demands of technical experts in the country, said Amit Roy Chakravarty, Director of the project.

Under the project ten-storey buildings - one each for administrative purposes, the others for female students, male students, professor/associate professor quarter, teacher dormitory, officer's quarter and staff quarter, are being constructed.

The existing two-storey Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall is being extended to a five-storey building.
 
Ten-storey buildings are also being built for the faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Civil Engineering.

Construction of the University's infrastructure will support, enable, and enhance the work of its faculty, staff, and students and ensure qualitative improvement of higher education in the fields of engineering and technology.

A two-storey vice-chancellor's banglow-cum-office building is being built in addition to construction of a three-storied medical centre.

Under the project, a requisite number of closed-circuit (CC) cameras and accessories will be installed to strengthen the university's security and surveillance system.

The project also has the provision of supplying scientific, laboratory and office equipment and furniture for improvement of laboratory, computational and extra-curricular facilities for the students.

Prof Jahangir Alam, Vice-chancellor of RUET hopes that upon successful implementation of the project by this year's end, the RUET campus will get a new look.

He said that the improved facilities will contribute a lot towards advancing and supporting the higher academic standards in both teaching and research that will turn the university into a centre of excellence.

Prof Alam said their RUET will be built as the country's first smart university where academia and industry experts will transform the students into skilled human resources through working jointly.

The skilled students will attain the capacity of leadership in the field of building Smart Bangladesh within 2041 envisioned by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.