The alumni of the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) has tied up with a hospital to extend healthcare facilities to employees of a bus route that they used to take years ago.
More than 100 alumni members, all leading successful professional careers in the country and abroad, have chipped in with USD 55 (Rs 3500) each to create a corpus to be given to the Belur Sramajibi Hospital.
The hospital will issue health cards to over 70 drivers, conductors and helpers of bus route number 55, which was, at one point of time, the only route from Kolkata for the students of IIEST, formerly known as Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur, alumni member Anindyo Mukherjee said today.
"We chose route 55, plying on the Howrah-Shibpur-Esplanade (Kolkata) route, as it was the most popular route in our days before alternative transport facilities came," another IIEST alumni member, Mohua Mukherjee, said.
"We have raised around Rs 5 lakh from the alumni, current students, the IIEST faculty and even healthcare professionals as we think it is our duty to give back something to these people of the unorganised sector, who toil day and night to run a service," she said.
The alumni and other well-wishers will assemble at Esplanade on December 24 morning, walk for 10 kilometers to reach the IIEST campus, following the route 55.
IIEST Director Prof Ajay Ray said, "I am here to pledge my support to the noble initiative by our former students who are now successfully posted in different corners of the world.
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