IIT-Patna has taken a leaf out of other institutes and inked an afforestation deal with the environment and forests department for a beautification drive on the campus.

As part of the deal signed recently, the forests department will plant at least 6,000 saplings on the Bihta campus.

Three types of saplings - herbs, shrubs and trees - will be planted across the 501 acres campus. Officials involved with the drive said it aims to develop the IIT-Patna premises as an eco-friendly campus.

"The saplings will be planted across the campus, on both sides of the roads, so that visitors can see greenery and beauty of the campus," said IIT director Pushpak Bhattacharyya. "For the first three years, the environment and forests department will look after the saplings. After that IIT will take over the maintenance. The institute will also name roads within the campus after the trees."

The green decision taken by IIT mirrors that of Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, where the campus is marked by routes such as Gulmohar Marg and Mahogany Marg among others.

At IIT Patna, apart from beautiful trees, fruit-giving trees such as mango, guava, and citrus will be planted across the campus.

Patna Science College principal and senior botany teacher U.K. Sinha said: "Greenery keeps the environment clean. As plants release oxygen, people get fresh air to inhale and there is less pollution. Such an environment will help people stay fit."

Apart from the plantation drive, IIT Patna promotes students to use cycles inside the campus, as is popular in universities worldwide such as Harvard and Cambridge.

Several students said as the IIT-Patna campus is spread over 500 acres and has hostels and different academic blocks, the best and cheapest mode of transport is bicycles.

Third-year BTech student Ankit Kumar said: "Cycling allows us a mode of exercise as well."