The swimming pool at the ISM recreation centre in Dhanbad and (right) fitness gear for the new gym. Pictures by Gautam Dey

Trust Indian School of Mines (ISM) when it comes to the all-round development of students.

The Dhanbad tech cradle is setting up a student activity centre, which will boast facilities such as sports, music, dance, dramatics and yoga.

Coming up near the squash court in front of Topaz Hostel at a cost of Rs 30 crore, the centre will be a four-storey building that will house indoor game facilities, a state-of-the-art gymnasium and a swimming pool. It is likely to be ready for inauguration by next month.

ISM registrar Colonel (Retd) M.K. Singh said, “Our efforts are aimed at not only churning out engineers, but ensuring the overall development of students.”

Various student societies and campus clubs focussing on culture, the cyber world, music, photography, dance and amateur radio, have been allotted separate halls in the four-storey building.

“The centre will have 40 halls and club members can practise regularly at the rooms allotted to them,” Singh added.

While the cyber society will function from a room on the first floor, all other clubs have got their halls allotted either on the second or third floor.

“Rooms for indoor games such as billiards, carrom and chess are located on the ground floor. We also have indoor courts for basket ball, volleyball and badminton,” said sports officer D.N. Acharya, adding that the state-of-the-art gymnasium with imported equipment worth Rs 55 lakh is also situated on the ground floor.

The centre will also have a cyber café, a stationery shop, a storeroom, a pantry and a changing room on the ground floor.

For those who prefer yoga over a hardcore fitness regime, a room has been assigned for that too. The yoga room on the third floor will have mats and a music system so that practitioners do not have to bother about these accessories.

But recreation is not only about extra-curricular activities. And ISM knows that very well. So, the authorities have decided to set up restaurants and food joints at the centre so that students do not have to step outside the institute for a quick bite.