A batch of students who graduated from Jadavpur University’s civil engineering department in 1999 has raised ₹23 lakh to buy the latest software for the department’s geotech laboratory.

Cash-strapped JU could not afford the technology on its own.

The former students will also help renovate the laboratory and buy new computers.

The ex-students have raised the funds to mark the silver jubilee of their graduation.

“We are helping the department buy the latest software like PLAXIS 2D and PLAXIS 3D which are geotechnical engineering software and must for a student studying BTech in civil engineering. When we contacted senior professors to ask how we could help on the occasion of our reunion, they told us about the need for the software. If students are not exposed to the latest software, they will fall behind. So, we bought the software,” said Anirban Goon of the 1999 batch.

He said they were looking forward to raising more funds so the department does not struggle to renew the software and pay for the annual maintenance contracts.

“Since the university is in the middle of a funds crunch, there are apprehensions that it might find it difficult to renew the software and meet the cost of the annual maintenance contracts. So, we are planning to raise more funds so that these issues could be taken care of,” said Goon.

Neepa Biswas, another student of the batch, said the latest software will enable “high-end research”.

“The identity of a university rests on the kind of research it undertakes. If research suffers, a university is bound to lose its ranking. It is sad that a premier university like JU cannot afford to buy the latest software. We wonder what the students might have learnt in the absence of these facilities, which are considered basics these days,” Biswas said.

JU had written to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in its self-study report in February that it was facing a “considerable shortage of funds” citing a “growing disparity between state and centrally-run educational institutions” regarding funding.

The report said a lack of enough technicians, resulting from funds shortage, stood in the way of proper maintenance of many costly equipment.

Metro reported on August 31 that the vice-chancellor of JU wrote to the state higher education department urging it to raise the allocation for the 2024-25 academic year as the funds that have been sanctioned are “not sufficient to run the day-to-day expenditure of the university”.

A student of the 1999 batch said: “Since the funds crunch has taken an alarming proportion, we are trying to help in our own way. The lab will be opened in December.”

A professor of the department said a room had been vacated for the new laboratory.

JU registrar Snehamanju Basu said: “We have been eagerly looking forward to support from the former students. This initiative will encourage other former students to come forward for their alma mater.”