IIT Kharagpur unveils Rs 1,000 crore campus transformation with new hostels, academic and wellness facilities

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur is undertaking a major infrastructure transformation as part of its platinum jubilee, with a focus on creating a healthier, more connected, inclusive and future-ready residential campus. The programme brings together new residential capacity, wellness and recreation facilities, academic spaces, upgraded basic infrastructure and technology-enabled mobility.

The transformation is centred on the student experience, covering various aspects of campus life, including living, learning, research, sports, cultural activities, wellness and daily mobility. As per the report, the projects represent more than Rs 1,000 crore of investment, excluding some of the latest initiatives for which consolidated project costs have not been provided.

The planning has been informed by a structured student survey that received 1,223 valid responses from undergraduates, postgraduate, collaborative-space requirements and transport preference. The report describes the approach as one focused on the "full student lifecycle."

New facilities to boost student life

A key component of the transformation is the development of wellness, sports and student activity infrastructure. The planned SETU wellness centre will have more than 25 private counsellor rooms, group-therapy spaces, seminar and support areas, mood rooms, creative studios, meditation spaces and landscaped therapeutic environments. The report states that the facility is intended to make well-being support "a visible part of campus life."

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The CREATE centre will combine an indoor sports complex, fitness centre, co-working and technology-group spaces, and around 4,000 square metres of cultural and creative spaces. Meanwhile, NAVYA, a Rs 14 crore student activity plaza at the Nalanda classroom complex, will include an amphitheatre, outdoor classrooms, nature trials, cafes, kiosks and exhibition areas. Construction of NAVYA is in progress, with completion anticipated in November 2026.

Five hostels to add 4,500 places

Residential infrastructure forms the largest quantified component of the programme. IIT Kharagpur is developing five new G+8 phase-II hostels, comprising three boys' and two girls' hostels, with capacity for approximately 4,500 additional students. The combined plinth area is around 94,705 square metres, with a project cost of Rs 601 crore.

The hostels are planned with dining and kitchen facilities, technology rooms, libraries and reading rooms, interaction spaces, music rooms, gyms, indoor sports, badminton courts, night canteens and shops. The report also mentioned controllable air-conditioning and LAN in rooms, along with Wi-Fi, CCTV, backup power, solar PV and fire-protection system. Fifteen rooms will be reserved for differently abled students.

Academic capacity gets major expansion

The platinum jubilee programme also includes new academic and research infrastructure. The Asima Chatterjee academic complex is a G+7 academic tower of roughly 24,850 square metres, being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 135 crore. It will bring together mathematics, education and activities from physics, civil engineering and water resources engineering, along with faculty from economics and several schools and centres.

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The institute is also developing a new computer science and engineering annexe with around 4,800 square metres of plinth area and project cost of Rs 45 crore. A new mechanical engineering building of about 5,800 square metres has already been completed and commissioned in January 2026. In addition, a specialised shallow and deep-water manoeuvring and sea-keeping basin is under construction to support experimental work in ocean engineering and naval architecture.