(From left) Convener of the fest Mohammad Shariddin, Birla Institute of Technology, Patna, director KK Srivastava and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi launch the souvenir on the first day of Technika on Friday. Picture by J Prakash

Patna, March 11: The battle lines are drawn. Sparks have started flying on the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) campus. But there will be no carbon emission at Technika 2011, the institute’s annual fest.

BIT, Patna, students will plant 150 saplings to compensate the emission of toxic fumes during the three-day event.

This year, Technika has gone national. Starting from today, budding engineers of BIT, National Institute of Technology (NIT), Patna, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Patna, Chanakya Law University, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, NIT Bhopal and NIT Kurukshetra will rub shoulders in technical and cultural contests. Contenders from XLRI, Jamshedpur, have also arrived.

Eminent jury comprising stalwarts from various organisations across various sectors will adjudge the participants.

At the three-day fest, which will conclude on Sunday with a performance by Pakistani band Strings, participants will put up models in robotics, coding, web designing and others.

Inaugurating the fest, deputy chief minister Sushil Modi said: “Engineers account for the real development of a nation. They should not remain confined to their jobs but should make an effort to do more. They should generate innovative ideas.” Modi also lauded the students of BIT, Patna, who have been invited by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), Florida, to take part in the second annual Lunabotics Mining Competition. The competition will be held at the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, from May 23 to May 28.

Nine students from the institute have been invited to the competition, as reported by The Telegraph on February 18, where Nasa experts will judge the competitors’ models. The deputy chief minister said such innovative ideas will not only bring name and fame to the individuals but will also become a source of inspiration for others.

BIT, Patna, director K.K. Srivastava urged the deputy chief minister to provide assistance for the development of land near the campus as an energy park. The park will also have different types of equipment which will assist in the conservation of energy.