About the Department

Founded in May 1856, the Department of Civil Engineering is as old as the institute. The Department was originally established as the Civil Engineering College, Calcutta with the object of imparting training to the personnel in the field of Civil Engineering for the fulfillment of the need of the Public Works Department of the Government of India. Since then it has been striving to develop and maintain a glorious national tradition of producing quality Civil Engineers for the country. 

The Civil Engineering department, at present, provides facilities for research and development in the following broad areas:

• Structural Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Water Resources Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Transportation Engineering

The Department has been associated with various sponsored projects in the above fields. It is one of the Government of India recognized Quality Improved Programme Centres and associated with topical research and development activities. The Department undertakes sponsored research from the AICTE, MHRD, UGO, CSIR, etc. 

The department lends support to the collaborative project, seminars, workshops and also associates itself in different consultancy activities like design, detailing, quality control, project management, etc. to meet the challenges of both private and public sector projects. This department has made a significant contribution to the removal of arsenic from groundwater. The age-old prestigious department has stood the test of time, to bring home to the students, the scholar, the patrons and all concerned the fruits of development of Science and Technology and to enable them to face any challenge anywhere in the field of Civil Engineering.

Message from the Head

Civil Engineering is among the oldest of engineering disciplines, but it continues to be among the most critical for addressing fundamental societal needs and offer boundless opportunities for innovation for sustainable and resilient buildings, transportation systems, energy and water infrastructure, as well as clean air, water and land, all within myriad constraints posed by the modern world. The Civil Engineering Department strives to equip the students with the fundamental knowledge, technical skills and practical experience to meet the challenges and opportunities likely to be encountered in the profession.

The department is one of the oldest engineering departments in the country. Our alumni are spread out all over the globe contributing significantly in various professional fields. The Department is proud of them. The support that the department receives from them is very valuable for the students as well as for the members of the faculty. Several endowments created from alumni donations enriched the teaching and research in the department. The department wishes to have more interaction and involvement of the alumni community.      

The faculty members are engaged in relevant research which is recognized in various fora. Most notably, outcome of their research have been translated in real-life applications providing various benefits to the society. Workshops/Seminars/Conferences are often organized for sharing and dissemination of knowledge. The students’ body of the department ‘Society of Civil Engineers (SOCCE)’ periodically organises events and publishes a magazine which provide opportunities for the students to explore their multifarious talents. The department boasts of the dynamic and enthusiastic students of undergraduate, postgraduate and research studies. We all enjoy the cosmopolitan essence among the student community.      

The Department promotes collaborative work with the industry and corporates. Support from the industry through various avenues is actively sought and the department is fortunate to have very meaningful involvement of the corporate houses. However, this can never be adequate and more collaboration will develop further synergy which will help the students and teachers at IIEST as well as the Civil Engineering industry.        

With the collective efforts and dedication of the students, faculty members and staff of the Civil Engineering family at IIEST Shibpur and with active collaboration from the alumni and industry, the Department will scale new heights of teaching, research and innovation in future. 

I convey my best wishes to all.

Prof. Anirban Gupta

Professor and Head, 

Department of Civil Engineering, 

IIEST Shibpur. 

Milestones

• Started as Civil Engineering College on 24th November 1856, in the premises of the Writers’ Buildings, Calcutta
• First Degree Examination in 1864
• First Post Graduate Course introduced in 1954 (first time in India)
• Faculty exchange program with University of Wisconsin in 1954
• Had the distinction of having  pioneers in Engineering like Prof. Gerald Pickette, Prof. James R. Villemonte, Prof. Paul Anderson, R.L. Daugherty, Prof. A.C. Ingersoll, as visiting faculty members under the TMC scheme with USA.
• Selected as Teachers’ Training Institute Centre in 1959
• First PhD in Engineering in 1962 in India. 
• QIP Centre for M.E. (Civil) in 1990
• QIP Centre for PhD (Civil) in 2006
• In 2005 the Department was recognized as one of the State Technical    Agencies (STA) under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojona
• In 2007 the Department celebrated its 150th Anniversary by organizing an International Conference on Civil Engineering in the New Millennium : Opportunities and Challenges.
• In 2008 the School of Disaster Mitigation Engineering was established with initiative from this Department.
• In 2008 the Advanced Centre for Environment and Water resources Engineering was established in collaboration with Queen’s University, Belfast.
• In 2013, the department was included as one of the nodal institutes in Supra Institutional Network Project for Development of Indian Highway Capacity Manual (Indo-HCM) funded by planning commission of India under the 12th Five Year Plans. 

Illustrious Alumni

• Rai Bahadur Anukul Ch. Mitra (1900) Engg. Incharge of construction of Victoria Memorial Hall, Calcutta.
• Rai Bahadur Girish Ch. Da (1891) Engg. In Charge, High Court Building, Calcutta.
• Dr. Fazlur Rahaman Khan, Pioneer in Structural Engineering
• Dr. Kajal Gupta, Chief Technologist, NASA-DFRC, USA.
• Dr, B.C.Ganguly, Formar Chairman, Indian Railway Board
• Dr. P.K. Basu, Former Chair, C.E. Department, Vanderbilt University
• Amrit Das, Founder Chairman, Research Engineers Inc. USA.