Misplaced Pages

Ajudhia Nath Khosla (11 December 1892 – 1984) was an Indian engineer and politician. He was the Chairman of the Central Waterways Irrigation and Navigation Commission of India.

Khosla was born in Jalandhar, and worked as Vice Chancellor of the University of Roorkee from 1954 to 1959. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1954 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1977. He was nominated as member of the Rajya Sabha the Upper house of Indian Parliament in 1958, but resigned in 1959 and joined the Planning Commission of India. He was the Governor of Odisha from September 1962 to August 1966 and again from September 1966 to January 1968. He was the president of Indian National Science Academy from 1961-62.

Education

Born in Jalandhar district of Punjab, he took up his early education there. After passing the matriculation in 1908 he took his BA with honours from D.A.V. College, Lahore, in 1912. He then joined the Thomason College of Civil Engineering (now IIT Roorkee) in 1913 and passed out in 1916 as a civil engineer.

Career

After graduating in 1916, he started his career with the Irrigation Branch of the Punjab Public Works Department. In few years, the Indian Service of Engineers (ISE) was established (1919) and he was allotted his first assignment (September 1917– March 1921) for surveys and investigations of Bhakra Dam Project . During this period, he spent 18 months on deputation to Mesopotamia as a commissioned officer with the Indian Expeditionary Force. While serving there (1918–1920) he developed the Khosla Disc for precision levelling across rivers and wide valleys. From 1921 to 1926 he was involved in the construction of the Suleimanke Barrage.

In 1931 Khosla was deputed to the US and Europe to study soil reclamation, water logging and the latest techniques in dam design. On his return he was posted to the Panjnad Head Works of Sutlej Valley Canals. Between June and September 1936 while in charge of the Hafizabad Division, he wrote his magnum opus, The design of weirs on permeable foundation. This publication revolutionised the design of such structures in India and abroad.

It not only lucidly presents the theoretical aspects of seepage flow but also provides a complete, simple and reliable method for design of weirs.

Contributions

As engineer

• He applied his methods to the design of the Trimmu Barrage and constructed it within two years (1937–1939), against the normal period of 4–5 years.
• He served as Superintending Engineer in 1939 and Chief Engineer in 1943 and in both capacities, cherished Bhakra project.
• He was appointed the first Chairman of the newly constituted Central Waterways, Irrigation and Navigation Commission in 1945.
• He developed the Poona Research Station at Khadakvasla into Central Water and Power Station.
• He undertook planning, design and, as in Hirakud Dam, construction of major Water Resources Projects.
• He served as vice-chairman and later chairman of the board of Consultants of Bhakra Control Board until its commissioning in 1963.
• He was instrumental in bringing about a number of agreements on negotiations for Indus Water Dispute with Pakistan.

As educationist

• He was appointed the first Indian Vice-Chancellor of Thomason College of Civil Engineering (later renamed University of Roorkee and then IIT Roorkee).
• He was the founder of two specialised engineering departments, which have made the University internationally known: the Water Resources Development Training Centre and the School of Research and Training in Earthquake Engineering.
• He was the founder of Adarsh Bal Niketan, Roorkee.

Government

• He was invited by the then Indian Prime Minister to serve as a member of Planning Commission in 1959.
• He served as the Chairman of the Education Panel of the Planning Commission
• He was appointed the Governor of Orissa in 1962, the first professional engineer to be given such a responsibility.

Recognition

• Padma Vibhushan, 1977
• Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, 1974
• Padma Bhusan, 1954
• Conferred the honorary D.Sc. degree by his alma mater

See also

• Palle Rama Rao

References

1. "Indian states since 1947". worldstatesmen.org. 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012. Ajudhia Nath Khosla (b. 1892 - d. 1984)
2. "Engineer". scientistindia.com. 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012. As Chairman of the Central Waterways Irrigation and Navigation Commission,
3. "University of Roorkee, formerly: Indian Institute of Technology (IITR), Roorkee (Rurki) | Colleges in Roorkee (Rurki) Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal)". punjabcolleges.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012. as Vice Chancellor of the University from 1954 to 1959.
4. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
5. "Our Governors Raj Bhavan Orissa". Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
6. Khosla, Ajudhia Nath (Engineer - Civil) Biography
7. Orissa Government Biography
8. "Post Held of Dr. Ajudhia Nath Khosla". ws.ori.nic.in. 2012. Archived from the original on 22 June 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2012. Post Held
9. "INSA Past Presidents". insaindia.org. 2012. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2012. Dr Ajudhia Nath Khosla 1961-62
10. "Engineers". Retrieved 13 June 2012.
11. "Excerpts from "A Tribute to Roorkee Luminaries" by C.P. Gupta". IIT Roorkee. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
12. R. Parthasarathy (19 June 2003). "A.N. Khosla (1892–1984): Irrigation engineer, visionary". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
13. "This Day That Age (August 10, 1960)". The Hindu. 10 August 2010. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 March 2021.

• Governors of Odisha
• Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in civil service
• Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering
• Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha
• Members of the Planning Commission of India
• 1892 births
• 1984 deaths
• Indian irrigation engineers
• IIT Roorkee alumni
• 20th-century Indian engineers
• 20th-century Indian educational theorists
• Engineers from Odisha