Corona Impact: IIT Indore classrooms to house 50%, hostels 40% of total capacity

Indore: As the country looks forward for completion of the lockdown 4.0, Indian Institute of Technology Indore has prepared a comprehensive plan to resume its academic and research activities in a phased manner strictly adhering to Covid-19 guidelines and health protocol.

It has planned some tough measures to check entry of the deadly virus entry into the campus when academic activities will start.

“On return of students to the campus, the institute is going to put them under 14-day quarantine. Besides, the hostels will be accommodating 40 per cent of its capacity so that adequate social distancing is maintained. The classrooms will be housing 50 percent of its capacity,” IIT Indore acting director Neelesh Kumar Jain told Free Press.

The Institute had constituted a high level COVID 19 Task Force which has evolved protocol for staying and dining arrangements for the students, ensuring social distancing in classrooms, library, health centre and other workplaces.

According to the protocol, everyone is required to submit a self-declaration form stating his/her health condition and travel history of self and family members before re-entry to the campus.

The protocol made for the students coming back to the campus takes care of different aspects. All the students after return to the campus will be placed in quarantine for a period of 2 weeks before commencement of any academic and research activity. Their health will be monitored and online classes will continue during the quarantine period.

The staying and dining facilities have been strategically modified and special arrangements have been made to ensure social distancing and safety norms.

All the needs of the students would be met within the campus itself and unnecessary movements will be restricted. Adequate arrangements have been made in the dining hall and it is planned that the students will be placed in batches for dining.

“The tables and chairs have been placed strategically so that social distancing is automatically maintained. Various food serving counters have been placed to avoid crowding. The menu has been modified to include more hot served food items. Facilities of handwash and sanitising are adequately placed. Adequate arrangements have been made in the library and health centre too, to ensure social distancing and adherence to safety norms,” said IIT Indore PRO Sunil Kumar.

The institute shifted its PhD students stranded in different parts of Indore city inside the campus during 4th week of May. “This has provided these students a safe and fearless environment and also helped them to resume their research activity after a 14 days quarantine resulting in very little loss of research time,” Kumar said.

BTech students may be called in last week of July

To resume the research activities and particularly to accelerate the research related to coronavirus vaccine development, the institute has asked all the students of PhD, MTech, MSc, and MS (Research) programs to return to the campus during the 3rd week of June. Students of 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of the BTech program may be called back during the last week of July. The institute has allowed online viva of the graduating students of the different PG programs to be completed by 4th week of June. It is also exploring the option of online exams of other graduating students.