Twenty Five Years of the Civil Engineering Deportment

Prof. A. S Aneja, Head Civil Engieering Department

Twenty five years is barely a period for an Institution to find its
equilibrium & orientation under the influence of socio-economic & political
factors and on account of the interaction with the sisterly institution of
the region. In the early fifties the gigantic projects like Bhakra Dam,
Fertilizer Plants, ambitious plans of industrial development, rural uplift &
electrification, expansion of the Armed Forces etc., required number of
engineers far beyond the capacity of the technical institutions of the
region at that stage. The idea of more technical institutions to meet the
enhanced demand for engineers was thus conceived and patronised by various
organisations and the institutions like Guru Nanak Engineering College
sprang up, and it is to their credit that at no stage or step have the
organisational or the national aspirations been let down by them.

The Civil Engineering Depeatment from its inception, had the benefit of the
guidance of the great educationists/engineers S. Tara Singh, Prof. P. C.
Puri & Dr. R. S. Sandhu who set up the highest tradition of rigid discipline
& dedicated hard work which have scrupulously been maintained ever since.
The inculcated habit of hardwork amongst the Civil Epgineering Students
helped them to compete well with their counterparts from other institutions
of this region though they were of rural background & had disadvantage of
initial merit.

The achivements of the Civil Enginering students can be a source of real
satisfaction and pride for the institution hardly out of its teething
troubles. To mention a few Sh. Kanwarjit Singh I.R.S.E. stood first in the
all India Engineering Services Examination conducted by U.P.S.C. and is
highly esteemed in his department for his technical knowledge. In the Armed
Forces Sh. S. K. Aggarwal & Sh. Sidhu have risen to the rank of Lt. Col. in
a short span of sixteen years & have earned a name for their Alma Mater. In
P.W.D. Sh. Tirlochan Singh, Sh. A. S. Dhami, Sh. Surjit Singh Bola and Sh.
S. S. Sanga are holding posts of Superintending Engineers. Sh. S. S. Saini
holds a coveted position in Earth Quake Engineering in Roorkee University.
Sh. Jaspal Singh, Sh. R. K. Garg Managing Directors of Construction Concern
Delhi & Steel strips, Chandigarh respectively have made their mark in the
field. Sh. I. S. Rai, Sh. R. K. Saran, Sh. H. S. Chadha, Sh. Jasbir Singh
Arora & many other old students of this Institution have earned glory in
U.S.A. In addition, a large no. of excellent Civil Engineers trained by the
department who hold senior positions in Army, Central and State Govt.
Departments and Private concerns, have substantially contributed towards the
development of country & building up of national economy.

Through consistent & phased planning the various Laboratories- Structures,
Material Testing, Road Materials, Soil Mechanics, Geology & Surveying have
been well equipped. Assistance by the State & Centrat Govt. under different
plans & schemes have been utilised to the best advantage to achieve this
end. They meet the requirements of degree & diploma students for conducting
the pracrlcals according to the latest syllabii and at the same time provide
facilities to the various P.W.D. Departments & other private firms for the
testing of maferia]s- Concrete, Steel, Soils etc. & for the repairs of their
sophisticated instruments- Levels, Theodolities etc.

The consultancy service provided to the various Govt. Departments &
Semi-Govt. and private agencies has won acclaim for the Civil Engineering
Department. Satisfactory solutions to intricate problems relating to the
design of buildings, auditorium, Water Tanks etc. have been found by the
department. The architectural & Structural Design of the Gurdwara in the
College Campus supplied by the Department has been widely¥ appreciated.
Similarly, problems relating to the bearing capacity of soiIs & other
aspects of soils mechanics, water logging, desing of foundations, design of
highways & the inspection of survey equipment have frequently been referred
to the Department & satisfactory solutions have invariably been found. The
volume & diversification of the consultancy & testing work undertaken by the
department & the efficiency of conduct have made the department extremely
popular with the clientele which though at present restricted to Punjab is
expected to grow with the passage of time.

Q.l.P for technical teachers has proved a boon to the department under the
incentive of leave under liberal terms, staff members have been able to
improve their qualifications. Under this scheme Prof. T .S. Rekhi & Prof.
Sewa Singh are on the threshold of their Ph.D. from I.I.T New Delhi. Prof.
D. S. Sahota had a teaching assignment in Tenzania where his work & conduct
were rated very good. Technical bodies like Institution of Engineers draw a
substantial membership from our staff.

With the co-operation of the staff & students, Civil Engineering Department
has made achievements for which institution & the Management can, indeed,
feel proud, but there is lot to be done in the future. Post Graduate Courses
is the need of the hour. So far as the Civil Department is concerned, it is
expected that this milestone will be reached before long.

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"Education is not the amount of information which is put into your brain,
runs riot there, undigested the whole of your life. We must have
life-building, man making, character making, assimilation of ideas. If you
have assimilated fine ideas and made them your life and character, you have
more education than any man who has got by heart a whole library ."

-Vivekananda