Page 10 - Construction

Govt fund should not be used for building any statue, says Nitin Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said he was against erecting any statue using government funds. He also said people do not value things which are given for free. Gadkari was speaking in Nagpur at the ground-breaking ceremony for the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the premises of the Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU). I welcome the move of the committee which is constructing the statue from the contribution given by the people. I feel that government funds should not be used for erecting the statue. People do not value things which are given for free, the BJP MP said. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Smarak Samiti was formed in Nagpur in 2015 and the work, including obtaining necessary clearances and permissions, has been going on since then. Gadkari also announced to donate Rs 5 lakh to the works undertaken by this committee. Even if someone donates Rs 11 or Rs 51 for this work, it should be seen as the person's attachment to the work and teaching

Nearly 300,000 people to be affected after removal of pontoon bridge in UP

Around 3 lakh people from three districts of Uttar Pradesh will be affected after a pontoon bridge over the river Ramganga will be dismantled as part of an annual exercise here. Providing a vital link to 3 lakh people from the districts of Shahjahanpur, Budaun and Farrukhabad, the 115-metre-long pontoon bridge also known as the floating bridge has been an integral part of their lives. According to officials, the dismantling of the bridge is a precautionary measure keeping in view the coming monsoon season. Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Tribhuvan said the 115-metre-long pontoon bridge is a temporary arrangement, and the pontoon bridges are put over rivers after the rains and floods are over. The pontoon bridge at Kolaghat was also a temporary arrangement. Once the bridge is removed, people in Kalan tehsil of the district will have to cover 100 kilometre instead of the earlier 52 kilometre to reach the district headquarters here. "Around 3 lakh people will be

Himachal CM to ensure high-quality construction in new PWD projects

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday instructed the Public Works Department (PWD) officials to prioritise the construction of tunnels for new road projects to ensure high-quality construction. Sukhu, who presided over a review meeting with the PWD officials virtually from Shimla, also stressed the need for constructing ropeways in the state, a statement issued here said. He informed that after the formation of the new government in the state, projects for the construction of 62 roads with an outlay of Rs 336 crore have been sanctioned till now under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). Moreover, the state government has sanctioned Rs 97 crore to decongest the circular road of Shimla city to facilitate the commuters, he added. Reviewing the progress of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-3, he said that the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of 45 roads with an estimated cost of Rs 422 crore have been approved for the state a

Contractors cannot undertake shoddy construction using public money: HC

The Karnataka High Court has rejected the petition by a construction company seeking the return of the bank guarantee which was encashed by the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSPHIDC) for alleged shoddy construction of police quarters by the firm. The High Court also directed that engineers involved in shoddy constructions using public money be brought to book. Citing earlier Supreme Court judgements, the High Court said that bank guarantees were not for show and the corporation had done the right thing. "What would unmistakably emerge is that the Bank Guarantee is not furnished for it to be photo-framed and hung on the wall, it has a purpose. The purpose is redeemed by the Corporation and cannot be found fault with." PG Setty Construction Technology Pvt Ltd had approached the High Court after KSPHIDC encashed the bank guarantee of Rs 1,15,13,500 for allegedly shoddy construction of 144 police quarters in Mandya and Chamarajanagar district

Bihar bridge collapse: Govt sends show cause notice to construction firm

Taking a grim view of the bridge collapse incident two days ago, the Bihar government has slapped a show cause notice on the construction company concerned, a top official said on Tuesday. Pratyay Amrit, the Additional Chief Secretary for the road construction department, also said that the executive engineer concerned has been suspended. "The Haryana-based company, which was awarded the contract, has been served with a show cause notice by the Managing Director of Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam and asked to reply within 15 days", Amrit told PTI. The company has been asked to explain why it should not be blacklisted by the government and further action taken against it, he said. "The department has also suspended the executive engineer concerned for his failure to keep an eye on the quality of the work", added the Additional Chief Secretary. Constructed over the river Ganges, the bridge was supposed to link Bhagalpur and Khagaria districts. The under-construction bridge, a portion

State Scan: Uttar Pradesh to get new Vidhan Sabha building before 2027

The present Vidhan Sabha building, in heart of Lucknow, is nearly 100 years old. UP legislature is bicameral, with 2 houses comprising 403 members and 100 members, respectively

Sterlite Power uses helicopter to expedite construction of Mumbai Urja Marg

Sterlite Power on Wednesday said it has started aerial operations to expedite the construction of its flagship Mumbai Urja Marg Project (MUML). To fast-track the completion of 400kV transmission corridor connecting Padgha to Khargar, which links Mumbai to the national grid, Sterlite Power has proactively deployed lightweight helicopters to overcome the challenges of terrain and speed up material transfer, the transmission infrastructure developer and solutions provider said in a statement. The aerial operations will involve the movement of around 3,000 metric tonnes of various materials over a period of two months. The lightweight helicopter AS 350 B3 with a load-carrying capacity of up to 1000 kg per sortie will be pressed into service to transport heavy equipment and material across several locations in and around the Mumbai region. Manish Agarwal, Director & CEO India Transmission, Sterlite Power, said, " The aviation operation MUML is a proactive step forward on our part and .

Class action: Sameness of interest is a given

The builder contended there was no sameness of interest: some buyers had accepted compensation, others had protested and accepted, and yet others had refused it outright

PSU's start-up plans to employ AI, renewables in ship design, construction

The nearly 140-year-old Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd is planning to rope in start-ups for employing artificial intelligence (AI) and renewable energy in ship design and construction, an official said on Wednesday. To identify and encourage the development of innovative solutions towards technological advances in shipbuilding by start-ups, the Kolkata-based defence PSU launched GRSE Accelerated Innovation Nurturing Scheme 2023 (GAINS), he said. It will help GRSE identify and encourage the development of innovative solutions to address present and emerging challenges in the ship design and construction industry, he added. It will be a two-stage process to help generate ideas, from which the promising ones may be selected and nurtured, the GRSE official said. "Artificial intelligence, renewable energy and energy efficiency as well as efficiency enhancement are focus areas for GRSE and are the thematic areas of GAINS 2023' challenge," he said. GAINS 2023 was ...

IIT Madras partners construction cos for implementing 'lean construction'

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is partnering with top firms across the country to implement "lean construction" that can reduce waste and the duration of construction in comparison with conventional techniques. Lean construction is a technique borrowed from "lean manufacturing" and adapted to construction to reduce eight kinds of waste - overproduction, inventory, defects, motion, over-processing, waiting, transportation, and human talent. According to officials, construction projects are often delayed and go over budget partly due to the construction process being inefficient and inadequate planning leading to wastage. "India is going through a boom in infrastructure projects. To complete projects successfully, one must align the people, process and technology elements of the project. By using a lean construction approach, these elements are integrated and aligned thus increasing the chances of project success," said Koshy Varghese, Professor at the Department of Civil

Govt launches new features in e-Shram portal to enhance its utility

Migrant workers will now be able to add their family details which will help them in accessing child education and women centric schemes during their period of migration

Construction workers: Rs 38,000 crore cess funds for welfare unused

Nearly Rs 40,000 crore lying unutilised with Construction workers welfare boards across the country

Home construction: Analysts bet on pipe makers; wary on tile, paint segment

The combined market size of the building material sector could touch Rs 2.7 trillion by FY26 from Rs 1.3 trillion in FY22

Amazon halts construction of its second headquarters in US to cut costs

As it cuts costs across the verticals amid the ongoing economic meltdown, Amazon has now halted construction of its second headquarters in the US

Nippon Paint to tap Rs 12,500-cr construction chemicals market division

Paint manufacturer Nippon Paint (India) Pvt Ltd would foray into the Rs 12,500 crore construction chemicals market as it eyes to expand the product portfolio, the company said on Saturday. With its entry into the construction chemicals division apart from the current paint and coatings product range, Nippon Paint would offer products and solutions under dry mix, repair and maintenance, construction chemicals and waterproofing categories. The products to be launched (in construction chemicals) would be focused on three segments -- during construction, post construction and taking up repair and maintenance. With this expansion, Nippon Paint said it also has plans to increase the dealer touch points by 50 per cent. Attributing to the increase in residential and commercial building constructions for its foray into the construction chemicals division, Nippon Paint said the growing trend of urbanisation was expected to drive this category. "Through this expansion strategy, Nippon Pai

Women in construction, real estate sector earn less than males: Report

Informal women workers in Indian construction and real estate sector earn 30-40 per cent less than male workers, according to a report that highlights about gender inequality in this sector. Consulting firm Primus Partners and World Trade Center on Monday released a report 'Pink Collar Skilling: Unleashing the Women's Power in the Real Estate Sector' stating that out of the total people employed in this industry only 12 per cent are women. "In the domestic construction and real estate sector, which employs 57 million workers, 50 million of the people employed are men, and only 7 million are women," the report said. Further, it added that the informal women workers engaged in construction in India earn 30-40 per cent less than their male counterparts. This highlights the "gender inequality prevalent in the construction and real estate sector in India," it observed. With a 34.5 per cent pay gap, the hourly wage of women in the construction industry is Rs 26.15, the report pointed ou

Experts point to old fault lines as Joshimath hits 'point of no return'

As the arguement over ecology versus development continues, experts believe halting construction now won't serve any purpose

India's cement industry continues to present a puzzle to investors

Given margin pressure and gradual demand revival, companies with strong balance sheet may gain in long run

MCD moves HC against Lokpal order for CBI probe against officials

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) approached the Delhi High Court on Friday against an order of the Lokpal of India directing a CBI investigation against its officials on the basis of a complaint about alleged illegal and unauthorised constructions in the city. Justice Prathiba M Singh, while refusing to pass an interim order of stay "at this stage" deferred the hearing till January 5. She asked the counsel for the petitioner to serve a copy of the petition to the Lokpal in the meantime. Senior counsel Rajshekhar Rao, appearing for the municipal body, urged the court to stay further proceedings. The judge, however, said she will pass an order of stay if a case is made out against the MCD on the next date of hearing. Lokpal is consisting of three members with a retired high court... Once the Lokpal has considered the matter, there are some reasons. I have to hear them, said the court. List on January 5. Advance intimation be given to the respondent Lokpal, it ordered. Rao .

There's upside potential in Cement sector as prices rise across regions

Analysts expect H2 to be better and infra spending to be hiked in the Budget; benign energy prices and demand improvement are other triggers