Main campus at Thrikkakara to get new academic complex

KOCHI: Following the State government’s assurance to support its expansion plans worth around ₹242 crore, Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) will submit a ₹100-crore infrastructure development plan to the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) soon.

A detailed project report (DPR) prepared by the varsity includes construction projects at an estimated cost of ₹106.56 crore. The cost of setting up a laboratory of international standards is estimated to be ₹136.36 crore.

Senior varsity officials said the infrastructure development proposal was likely to be taken up at the meeting of the board to be held by the end of September. Roads and Bridges Development Corporation Ltd, the special purpose vehicle (SPV), will execute the infrastructure development plans including construction work, they added.

The DPR envisages the setting up of infrastructure to enhance teaching and learning process at an estimated cost of ₹63.68 crore. A project to implement reliable and sustainable power supply to support research and development on the campus is expected to cost ₹15.12 crore. According to the DPR, ₹27.26 crore is required to enhance the quality of campus life.

New facilities

The main campus of the varsity at Thrikkakara will get a new academic complex under the proposed infrastructure development plan. A state-of-the-art guest house will also come up on the campus.

The lakeside campus will have a multi-storey academic complex. The other plans include the setting up of a swimming pool, sustainable power generation, improvement of roads, and renovation of the open air auditorium.

The DPR proposes a dedicated KSEB line along with solar power generation to meet the increasing demand for continuous and uniform availability of power on the campus. Intermittent power loss and voltage fluctuation are major impediments to conducting quality research, it said.

A campus development plan will be implemented under the first phase of KIIFB funding. The focus will be on avoiding overlapping of academic and residential areas.

Pedestrian paths and cycle tracks will come up on the main campus. Besides, campus roads will get a face-lift. The DPR also focuses on augmenting research and development programmes in science, technology, and marine science.