Munish Sood
Mandi
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi on Thursday achieved a major infrastructure milestone with the inauguration of ‘Panchvaktra Marg’, a new road connecting its North and South campuses. The road was inaugurated by IIT Mandi Director Professor Laxmidhar Behera in the presence of faculty members, students, staff, engineers and project officials.
The newly developed road is expected to significantly enhance connectivity across the institute by bringing its two campuses under a seamless transport network, thereby improving academic collaboration, administrative efficiency and overall campus mobility.
Spread over approximately 3.5 kilometres, the two-lane road is 9 metres wide and has been constructed at a cost of nearly ₹21 crore. Besides facilitating smooth vehicular movement, the project also features a dedicated pedestrian walkway to ensure safe and convenient movement for students, faculty and visitors.
One of the key highlights of the project is a 50-metre-long pre-stressed box girder bridge built across the Kataula ravine, providing uninterrupted connectivity between the two campuses. Designed for the challenging Himalayan terrain, the road incorporates a scientifically planned drainage network, RCC slab culverts, channelisation structures, valley-side protection works and street lighting to enhance safety, particularly during the monsoon and at night. The alignment has also been carefully planned to minimise steep gradients, ensuring safer and smoother traffic movement.
During construction, engineers encountered a 150-metre rocky stretch that was excavated using environmentally sustainable engineering techniques instead of heavy blasting. Although this extended the construction timeline, the approach helped maintain high safety standards while reducing the environmental impact of the project.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Laxmidhar Behera said the road has been named ‘Panchvaktra Marg’ in honour of the historic Panchvaktra Shiva Temple in Mandi, reflecting the institute’s respect for the region’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage.
“This road will not only improve connectivity between the two campuses but will also strengthen the spirit of unity within the IIT Mandi community. I congratulate all the faculty members, staff, students, engineers and workers whose dedication made this important project possible,” he said.
Marking the occasion, IIT Mandi also launched the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign under which around 2,000 trees will be planted along and around Panchvaktra Marg. The initiative aims to promote environmental conservation, strengthen the institute’s sustainability efforts and encourage active community participation in developing a greener and healthier campus.
