New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) A 50-acre land parcel located in Haryana’s Jhajjar district, designated for the proposed extension campus of IIT-Delhi, has been reported as unsuitable following soil tests. The findings indicated that the land’s structural integrity is compromised due to its weak soil and waterlogging, making it unfit for construction. This information was disclosed by Union Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar, during a session in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
In addressing a written inquiry, Majumdar stated, “An extension campus of IIT Delhi at Jhajjar, Haryana was earlier proposed. However, based on the technical survey held at the location, it was concluded that the load-bearing capacity of the land is very low due to its topography and waterlogging. Therefore, the land could not meet the requirements of IIT Delhi for the construction of its planned facilities.”
The Jhajjar campus was announced in 2022 and was intended to serve as a pioneering research and development centre focused on patient-specific drug development for cancer treatment and advancements in medical equipment technologies.
Currently, IIT Delhi operates another extension campus on a 50-acre site within the Rajiv Gandhi Education City (RGEC) in Sonipat, Haryana. This existing campus functions as a hub for advanced research, innovation, and collaboration with industry stakeholders. It houses 35 sophisticated facilities, with an approximate valuation of Rs 190 crores, aimed at supporting research across various disciplines, including chemistry, physics, biology, materials science, and engineering, in collaboration with academic institutions, research and development entities, as well as micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The research facilities at the Sonipat campus encompass high-end light and electron microscopes, a 3D metal printer, chemical and material synthesis and characterisation devices, spectroscopy/spectrometry equipment, and environmental monitoring tools. In addition to these centralised research facilities, the Sonipat campus is home to the optics and photonics unit of IIT Delhi, the Atal Incubation Centre dedicated to translational research, and a new high-performance computational facility.