Mr. Sumit Verma will present his APS as per the detail below:  

 

Date: 26th September, 2024

 

  Time: 1330 – 1500 hrs.

 

  Venue: CTARA Conference Room No.1  

 

Topic: On the importance of Infrastructure: Repair and Maintenance  

 

Guide: Prof. Pankaj Sekhsaria  

 

RPC Members: Prof. Satish Agnihotri, Prof. Himanshu Burte, Prof. Mahendra Shahare  

 

Abstract:    This report aims to understand the often-invisible practices of repair and maintenance that sustain the functioning of socio-technical systems, using the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) as a focal case study. Drawing on foundational scholar works within STS, such as Susan Leigh Star and Christopher Henke, the report employs infrastructural inversion to foreground theoretical perspectives on infrastructures as dynamic systems requiring continuous upkeep rather than the static substrate which supports institutional and organisational goals. By shifting the focus from innovation (Vinsel & Russell, 2018) to the invisible labour of maintenance, the study highlights how socio-material networks ensure the ongoing functionality of such vital systems.   The case study on IIT Bombay creates an empirical foundation to investigate how infrastructure is built and maintained in one of the higher education technical institutes in India. The narrative presents how the evolution of IIT Bombay infrastructure repair and maintenance has happened and the institutional and financial arrangements which enhance this infrastructure in IIT Bombay.   The contributions made would give wider insight into how, within institutions, operational stability and educational standard maintenance are achieved through enduring infrastructural support. This research provides valuable insights into the often-overlooked maintenance practices that are vital for the long-term sustainability of educational and technological infrastructures.