Prayagraj: Engineers must look beyond constructing buildings, bridges and other infrastructure and focus on solving societal problems through safe, affordable, sustainable and innovative technology, said additional General Manager of North Eastern Railway (NER) Vinod Kumar Shukla said at Engineers’ Day celebrations in Prayagraj on Tuesday.The Institution of Engineers (India), Prayagraj Local Centre, organised the programme at the seminar hall of MNNIT Allahabad to mark Engineers’ Day on Tuesday and paid tribute to Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya for his contribution to engineering and nation-building.Shukla said engineering excellence must be backed by integrity, accountability and public safety. Referring to Indian Railways, he said every bridge, track, station, tunnel and other infrastructure directly affects the safety and convenience of millions of passengers.The programme also featured a technical seminar on “Engineering Excellence for a Sustainable and Technologically Sovereign India” in Hindi to commemorate Hindi Diwas. Research papers were drafted and presented in Hindi. The Dr D N Tewari Memorial Distinguished Engineer Honour-2026 was conferred on engineer Ramesh Narayan Mishra, former chairman and managing director of Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited.Mishra stressed the need to study and scientifically validate India’s traditional engineering practices and integrate relevant knowledge with modern technology.IEI Prayagraj chairman Prof Avanish Kumar Dubey stressed the need to check technical brain drain, bridge educational gaps and strengthen industry-academia links.