Rambilash Agarwal, a nonagenarian known for his contributions in the field of education in Siliguri, passed away on Tuesday midnight.

Agarwal was the founder and the president of Bidya Bharti Foundation that runs two schools and an engineering college in Siliguri and another school at Joka in Calcutta.

Born in 1929, Agarwal had taken the task of forming the foundation that opened up the Delhi Public School, Siliguri, one of the largest educational institutions in north Bengal. The foundation then opened two other schools — Delhi Public School, Joka, and Delhi Public School, Fulbari (on the southern end of Siliguri) — and the Surendra Institute of Engineering & Management at Dagapur in Siliguri.

“It is a great loss for us. It was under his able guardianship that the foundation could come up with four leading educational institutions,” Sharad, his grandson, said.

People from different walks of life have mourned Agarwal’s demise.

“He will always be remembered for his benevolence and his contribution to the society. His initiative to come up with educational institutions has largely helped residents of Siliguri and north Bengal as a whole,” said Sandipan Bhattacharya, an academic of the city.