Confederation of Indian Industry - Erode Zone on Monday sought to expand the professional outlook of builders and civil engineers for tie-ups with global entities through a conference on 'Future Trends in Infrastructure Industry' with orientation on quality.
The participants drawn from construction industry and engineering colleges gained insights into several new aspects in the sector including 'lean practices in construction', 'new generation concrete, 'pre-cast building solutions' and 'cost-effective material and techniques'. Sessions on these topics were handled by faculties from IITs and top executives of leading construction companies.
The conference was intended to sensitise future builders and engineers to practices of international standards in the backdrop of global companies looking for tie-ups with Indian firms for tapping opportunities in infrastructure sector, said CII Erode Zone chairman C. Devarajan.
A need has arisen for Indian construction companies to to conform to the parameters set by international entities in terms of quality, safety and cost. The conference also emphasised on a re-look at the tender procedure for government projects in order to make sure that the lowest bidder does not compromise on quality, the organisers said.
Corporation Commissioner M. Seeni Ajmal Khan inaugurated the conference and acknowledged the role played by CII and Olirum Erodu Foundation to secure 'smart city' status for Erode.
The CII received support from Builders Association of India, Erode Chapter and Erode District Civil Engineers Association for organising the event.
M. Chinnasami, vice-chairman, CII Erode Zone; R.R. Sathyamurthi, president, Builders Association of India, Erode Chapter; and R. Chandramouli, president, Erode District Civil Engineers Association, spoke.
Experts who handled the technical sessions included Koshy Varghese, Professor, Department of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; Indhu Mehrotra, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering,Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee; and Gitakrishnan Ramadurai, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras.
