IIT Delhi alumnus pledge support for clean air research

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 4: The one thing which is a major cause of worry for the residents of Delhi-NCR is the quality of air they are breathing. It has become a major health issue for residents and visitors. IIT Delhi alumnus, Dr Arun Duggal, along with IIT faculty and students, is poised to make a contribution towards improving the ambient and indoor air quality in Delhi. Dr Duggal has pledged financial support of about 5 crores for the establishment of the Centre of Excellence for Research on Clean Air (CERCA) at IIT Delhi.

The CERCA was inaugurated on 16 February 2018 by the Lt Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal. Dr Duggal received his B. Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi in the year 1967. While speaking about CERCA said, “IITD has an opportunity, to assist the policy makers in Government dealing with Air Quality issues by providing scientific information and objective feedback on various pollution control measures.”

Speaking about Dr Duggal’s initiative, Prof V Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi, said, “IIT Delhi has taken many steps to address the air quality problems in Delhi. One of them is to understand the sources of air pollution through systematic data generation and validation. Then comes the technological and policy interventions to address these sources of pollution, whether it is for the paddy straw burning issue in neighbouring states or addressing the vehicular pollution levels in Delhi. Through the efforts of Dr Duggal and the institute, we also are able to put a team together and connect them with the key government agencies.”

Prof B R Mehta, Dean, Research & Development, said, “Research in clean air is of high priority and IITD has contributed Rs 10 crore as a grant for a grand challenge Project.” Prof Sanjeev Sanghi, Dean, Alumni Affairs, added, “Initiation of such activity by an alumnus is really appreciated by the institution. An alumnus who comes back to his alma mater and asks it to work on problems affecting the day to day life of ordinary citizens shows the trust he has in its alma mater to play a leading role for the society’s benefit. Surely, we at IITD must be doing something right.”