The government’s ineptitude in upgrading the technical skills of civil engineers and the shoddy upkeep of bridges, buildings, and other structures in the State have prompted contractors to demand that agencies like PWD establish a technology bank.
The cracks suffered by the Palarivattom flyover within two years of its commissioning was a wake-up call, said Varghese Kannampilly, president of the Kerala Government Contractors’ Association. “The flyover would not have suffered damage to this extent if its consultant KITCO and executing agency RBDCK had detected flaws in its design and execution at the right time. They are now running from pillar to post, although technological solutions are aplenty. Hence we have decided to seek the establishment of a technology bank. It will prevent the frequent need to rely on IITs to fix problems,” he said.
He wondered why the task of readying the flyover’s design was entrusted to private consultants, when the Kerala PWD had a full-fledged design team (headed by a Chief Engineer). Rather than adhering to status quo, the PWD design team must keep itself updated with technological changes occurring worldwide. Focus on capacity building will enable them to confidently design modern structures. Moreover, the practice of opting for the cheapest design must be scrapped. Rather, the emphasis must be on the design’s technical perfection and the credibility of the designer, Mr. Kannampilly observed.
Award-winning bridge
Even as most contractors are confident of sourcing skilled workers, they find it tough to get technical advice thanks to insufficient number of engineers with sound technical skills. Citing the example of the Varapuzha bridge, linking Varapuzha and Cheranalloor over the Periyar, Mr. Kannampilly said the structure built over two decades ago was the first balanced-cantilever bridge to be constructed in the State. It has just one pillar on the waterbody.
The bridge went on to win national awards for being an outstanding structure. Sadly, the sleek construction technique was not adequately relied upon later, an exception being the 90-metre-long Kochi metro viaduct over railway tracks at Ernakulam South.
Organisations like the Kerala Highway Research Institute must rise to the occasion. Inteface between the civil construction industry, engineering colleges of repute, and educational / other institutions having the know-how must be streamlined. Timely revisions must also be made in the engineering syllabus, Mr. Kannampilly said.
He wondered why Kerala was reluctant to adopt technologies like milling and recycling of the tarred surface of roads at a time when there was acute scarcity of construction materials like aggregate and sand. “The PWD and other government agencies can easily adopt the practice since machines that have been imported are available on rent. Engineers and workers must be trained in the practice so that natural resources are not exploited beyond a limit. A technology bank would help,” he observed.
Meanwhile, PWD officials confided that their design wing was insufficiently relied upon since it had not updated itself. “For instance, pre-cast girders and factory-cast steel girders are not adequately relied upon for bridge and flyover constructions in Kerala. They have manifold advantages like much lesser construction time and least disruption to traffic. The marginally higher cost and reluctance of most engineers to adopt new technologies are the reasons why such methods are not adopted in the State,” he said.
