Coronavirus outbreak: IIT Kanpur annual tech fest postponed

Another addition in the postponement of events due to the corona scare is the annual technical and entrepreneurial festival of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K), Techkriti-2020.

Though there is no confirmed case of coronavirus in Kanpur but the IIT-K festival witnesses a huge footfall of students and visitors from across the country as well as abroad and in view of this, the IIT-Kanpur administration, on Thursday evening, decided to cancel the mega event which was to start from March 19.

‘Techkriti’ is one of the largest technical festivals held in engineering and management institutes of the country.

It witnesses participation of students from all IITs and top colleges of the country. A number of events, including competitions like Model United Nations, Tech Summit, Entrepreneurial Conclave, Technocruise are held every year.

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Besides, workshops and talks by eminent speakers remain a major attraction.

Prominent artistes also give performances during the cultural evenings.

The cancellation of the festival has come as a setback for the students who had been preparing for the event for past many months.

Read More: Coronavirus Scare: IIM -Indore postpones annual convocation

Meanwhile, precautionary measures have been also put in place on the campus for protection against coronavirus spread without disturbing the academic atmosphere. The institute has also made the attendance of all postgraduate students optional till April 15.

Read More: Coronavirus scare: DU suspends classroom lectures, opts for e-learning

The residents of IIT-Kanpur have also been advised to avoid international travel till April 15 and all outreach activities on the campus have also been suspended until April 15.

The institute stated that it is in constant touch with the district epidemiologist as well as the health department regarding COVID-19.