GUWAHATI, May 25 � Former President APJ Abdul Kalam today said nationwide smart waterway, based on the concept of a river grid, covering all major rivers in the country could be started from the Brahmaputra river in Assam, reports PTI.
�What we need is a smart waterway in the Brahmaputra, a waterway which would be navigable 24 hours. Like the national power grid, we need a national waterway and Brahmaputra should be the starting point,� Kalam told reporters here, on the sidelines of the 14th convocation of the IIT Guwahati.
Asked if he is in favour of the river interlinking project, Kalam said �Yes, I am for linking of rivers.�
Earlier in his convocation speech, the former President said students of IIT-Guwahati could take up the project. �You (students) must think of making a smart Brahmaputra waterway. It should be operational 24X7,� he said.
�I often visit Assam and whenever I see the Brahmaputra, it is flowing silent and with minimum activity. I have a dream that it should be part of a national water grid. It could be a beautiful waterway,� he added.
Our Staff Reporter adds: RP Singh, Chairman Board of Governors, IIT Guwahati, appealed to the students to introspect on their career choices, so that they do not lose focus on �sustainable growth of humanity.�
Alluding to the concept of wealth as mentioned in the Chanakya Sutra, he mentioned that for sustainable growth to take place, �it is imperative that wealth is created through fair means for the benefit of mankind��
Presenting the Director�s report, Gautam Barua, congratulated all the successful candidates and hoped that they will help the institution in various ways in the future.
His report highlighted IIT Guwahati�s participation in the National Knowledge Network (NKN), the expansion of the central library, and acquisition of several sophisticated equipment such as Single Crystal X-Ray Diffractometer and Rotating Anode X-Ray Diffractometer.
However, he conceded that even though efforts are being made, the number of undergraduates opting for research and teaching has been declining over the years.
Today, the President of India Gold Medal was awarded to Patil Pratik Narendra, a BTech student of Electronics and Communication Engineering, and the Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal was presented to Anshul Garg, a student of B Tech Mechanical Engineering.
