Alumnus pledges Rs 8.6 crore to set up water research centre at IIEST
Times of India | 1 January 2025
Arun Deb KOLKATA: A former student and teacher at BE College, Shibpur (now IIEST), now settled in the US, has pledged to donate a million dollars (about Rs 8.6 crore) to his alma mater to set up a centre for water and environmental research.
This would be the largest grant to the institute in recent memory.
Arun Deb (88) graduated from the civil engineering department of BE College in 1957.New Year Special75+ New Year Messages, Wishes and Quotes for 2025Unbelievable! 2025's most powerful zodiac predictions are hereNumerology 1-9: What the numbers hold for us next yearThe octogenarian - who has more than 60 years' experience in teaching, research and consultancy in water and wastewater engineering across the world - feels this area of study is the need of the hour.
Deb joined his alma mater as a teacher in 1958. He taught there until 1971, when he joined University College London as a faculty member, which he served for three years. He then taught at the University of Notre Dame for a few years and joined an environmental and infrastructure services firm. He retired as its VP in 2003 after three decades of service. Deb is now adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and divides his time between Kolkata and Pennsylvania.
"This is probably the highest contribution by an individual to IIEST," said Debasis Datta, dean of international relations and alumni affairs.
Deb said he had always wanted to set up a school at his alma mater on water and environmental engineering.
Shibpur old boy: Work for Kolkata is my best project
Arun Deb, an alumnus of BE College (now IIEST), said he had always wanted to set up a school at the institute on water and environmental engineering. "I floated my idea to the new director, VMSR Murthy," Deb said. "I am 88 and do not know how long I will live, but I want to finish it in my lifetime." He said he had attempted it in 2014, when Ajoy Ray was at helm, but it did not materialise.
Deb said he had worked across the world, but felt his "best work" was the one he did for Kolkata. "In 2000-2002, I led a World Bank project and developed a master plan on water supply and sanitation for KMC. The work for my city is the best work I have done," he told TOI.
Deb said the centre would be multidisciplinary, with modern labs and instrumental facilities, offering great scope for research. "The announcement of my contribution was made on Global Alumni Day at IIEST on Sunday, but the roadmap of its implementation, framework and requirements are yet to be finalised," he said. "The centre will work on water conservation, wastewater recycling, wetlands, water bodies, sanitation and rainwater harvesting," said acting registrar Anirban Gupta.
The centre would also cater to health and sanitation issues, said IIEST director Murthy. Tejaswini Ananthkumar, chairperson of the board of governors, said: "Our alumni also acts as a bridge between academia and industry." Vinod Singh, joint secretary of GAABESU (the alumni association), said, "Deb's contribution is the highest individual academic donation to the institute."
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