The Prime Minister's Project Monitoring Group has cleared 147 infrastructure projects worth approximately Rs. 5 lakh crore involving investments of Rs. 3.1 lakh crore in 100 projects so far. The PMG was established last year to facilitate and expedite stalled projects by resolving issues. It has identified over 435 stalled projects worth Rs. 20 lakh crore pending for years. The PMG chairman said fuel supply agreements have been signed for 70,000 MW of the targeted 78,000 MW of power projects. 13 states have also decided to set up similar project monitoring groups.

1. March 10-16, 2014 1
Volume 3 l Issue No 10 l March 10-16, 2014 l Price: Rs 100An MMR, Braj Binani Group Publication
Projects worth `5 lakh
crore cleared by PMG
of the schemes has ensured that
fuel supply agreements have been
signed between power firms and coal
companies for about 70,000 mw, out
of the targeted 78,000 mw.
PMG’svisionistomakeinformation
available on the web, thereby creating
transparency through IT-related
applications, he further added that
“specific details, however, would be
available to project proponents only
as I don’t want companies to poach
into other’s areas.”
He stated that 13 states have
decided to set up similar PMGs.
“We have told states that we are
ready to share the portal with them
and they can start monitoring the
projects below Rs 1,000 crore. This
is irrespective of political colour. It is
apolitical,” he stressed.
PMG has identified over 435
stalled projects worth around Rs 20
lakh crore, pending for years. The
PMG was set up in June last year to
facilitate and fast-track projects by
resolving specific issues.
The Prime Minister’s Project
Monitoring Group (PMG) has cleared
147 projects, entailing an investment
of around Rs 5 lakh crore.
“PMG has facilitated clearance to
147 projects worth about Rs 5 lakh
crore in which more than 200 issues,
including environment and forest
clearances, were involved,” said
PMG Chairman Anil Swarup.” In 100
out of 147 projects facilitated by the
PMG, Rs 3.1 lakh crore investments
have been made as per the industry
figures, said Swarup, and added that
these entailed a total investment of Rs
3.8 lakh crore.
A large number of projects
related to coal, and the monitoring
Gujarat cement prices
see poor upturn
IRB starts work on
`4,139-cr road projects
Cement prices, a major commodity
that gets used in the infrastructure
sector, have not seen much upturn
in Gujarat this year. For that matter,
last quarter, prices in the Ahmedabad
market were rather down by 10-13 per
cent owing to slowdown in demand
from end user industries like real
estate and infrastructure.
A recent report on the cement
sector from market research firm
Icra highlighted that while average
wholesale cement prices have
increased by 8-12 per cent in select
markets like Delhi, Chandigarh in
the north and Mumbai in the west
between September to December
2013, prices have actually declined
by 13 per cent in Ahmedabad during
the same period.
Cement dealers, stockists as
well as companies agree that prices
are indeed down by 10-12 per cent
owing to slow demand. Alok Sanghi,
Director, Sanghi Cement said that
prices were down in the region
owing to lack of demand from user
industries.
A senior company official informed
that average price of cement during
the fiscal has been around Rs 250 for
a bag, and at present prices in the
Ahmedabad region were hovering
around Rs 290 a bag, which is down
by 10-12 per cent on a year-on-year
basis.
V Srinivasan, cement analyst with
Angel Broking, said that average
capacity utilization of cement plants
across the country is around 66 per
cent at the moment, which is the
IRB Infrastructure has started work
on two road projects in Karnataka
and Maharashtra, which entail a cost
of Rs 4,139 crore. The Rs 2,639-
crore scheme for four-laning of a
highway in Karnataka and the Rs
1,500-crore road widening project in
Maharashtra are being implemented
by the company’s wholly-owned
subsidiaries, IRB Infrastructure.
“IRB West Coast Tollway Pvt
Ltd has now received appointed
date from the NHAI in terms of the
concession agreement for the project
of four-laning of Goa-Karnataka
border to Kundapur section of NH-17
in Karnataka under NHDP phase-4.
The SPV, it said, has commenced
construction on the project on
design, build and finance, operate
and transfer (DBFOT) toll basis. It
said it has sought Rs 536 crore from
lowest in the past three years. Right
ahead of the assembly elections
in the state last year, the state
government had announced that it
would build affordable houses every
year (around 25,000-40,000 houses
per year) for the lower and middle
income groups.
However, demand from the real
estate sector has failed to pick
up. A senior official of the Builders
Association of India (Bai), Gujarat
chapter, stated that real estate
demand is down around 20 per cent
in the Ahmedabad region.
The Icra report further pointed out
that cement production has grown by
a modest 3.7 per cent during April-
December 2013 primarily due to weak
demand from end-user industries.
The report stated, “Delays
in environmental clearances for
industrial and infrastructure projects
and sand unavailability in some states
contributed to slow growth. Contrary
to expectations, cement demand
failed to pick up even in the post
monsoon season due to continuing
weak demand from infrastructure and
real estate sector.
“In fact, as against year-til-date
growth of 3.7 per cent, the production
registered an even lower growth of
2.0 per cent during Q3 FY14 despite
a low base (cement production
had grown by 5.5 per cent in the
corresponding period last year).”
Lower demand has, in turn,
affected the margins of cement
companies. Companies had
raised prices in September 2013 in
the NHAI as viability gap funding for
the Rs 2,639-crore project with a
concession period of 28 years and
construction period of 910 days.
The company has achieved
financial closure and tied up project
finance of Rs 1,406 crore from a
consortium of public sector banks,
it added. “Solapur Yedeshi Tollway
Pvt Ltd, the wholly-owned subsidiary
of the company, has now executed
concession agreement with the
NHAI for the project of four-laning of
Solapur to Yedeshi section of NH-
211 in Maharashtra under NHDP
phase-4 on DBFOT (toll) basis. It
added that the company has sought
Rs 189 crore as viability gap funding
from the NHAI for the 1,500-crore
project with a concession period of
29 years and construction period of
910 days.
anticipation of recovery in demand
post-monsoon. However, the price
rise had to be rolled back in October
due to weak demand.
At the same time, input costs have
risen. The Sanghi Cement official
pointed out that rising diesel prices
have indeed impacted freight costs
for cement companies. Cement
being a bulky commodity, freight
costs constitute almost 30 per cent
of overall operating variable costs.
Srinivasan said, “While overall input
costs have risen by Rs 100-150 per
ton, freight costs have gone up by Rs
40-50 per ton.”
The total operating income for
companies in Icra Sample (includes
ACC Ltd, Ambuja Cements Ltd, JK
Cement Ltd, JK Lakshmi Cement Ltd,
OCL India Ltd, Prism Cement Ltd,
Shree Cement Ltd, the India Cements
Ltd, the Ramco Cements Ltd and
UltraTech Cement Ltd) declined by
2.4 per cent y-o-y in Q3 FY14.
The report further pointer out,
“The operating profitability margins
for Icra sample declined from 17.1
per cent in Q3 FY13 to 14.6 per cent
in Q3 FY14. Muted demand, pricing
pressures and cost headwinds
resulted in muted performance of
cement companies in nine months
FY14.
“Companies in Icra Sample
reported 3 per cent y-o-y decline in
revenues in nine months FY14. The
operating profitability also declined
from 21.8 per cent in nine months
FY13 to 15.4 per cent in nine months
FY14.”
Centre okays projects
worth `266 crore
for W Bengal
The Centre has approved three
projects -- the renewal of the
iconic Tala Tank in north Kolkata,
augmentation of Uluberia water
supply scheme and solid waste
management scheme of the Kolkata
Municipal Corporation (KMC), said
official sources.
The Central Sanctioning &
Monitoring Committee (CSMC) of the
Union Ministry of Urban Development,
a day before the announcement of
the poll schedule by the Election
Commission, approved the three
projects worth around Rs 266 crore
for West Bengal. The Tala Tank is
an iconic structure in north Kolkata
with a capacity of 41 million litres
(9 mgd) and was commissioned in
1911, but is still providing service to
an estimated 36 lakh population. Its
area is 98m x 98m, depth is 5.5m.
Due to ageing, some deformation is
happening and some leakages are
also noticed. The CSMC technical
experts described the tank as unique
and the sources said the approved
project cost for its renovation is Rs
67.81 crore.
The project will be executed by
the Kolkata Municipal Corporation
(KMC). The 10 mgd water treatment
plant at Uluberia was commissioned
under JNNURM but was inadequate
in meeting the local demand.
To increase the capacity to 18
mgd, the project is being augmented
again under JNNURM at a cost of Rs
46 crore. The implementing agency
will be the Kolkata Metropolitan
Water & Sanitation Authorities.
T h e K M C ’ s s o l i d w a s t e
managementprojectwithcompactors
was approved by CSMC at a cost of
Rs 153 crore. The project envisages
163 stationary compactors and
200 movable compactors. There
will be a compost plants, transfer
stations and modern mechanical
transporters. The project will use 20
acres in New Town that has been
recently earmarked for the project.
KMC will implement the project, the
sources added.Representation only

2. March 10-16, 2014 2
Tata Housing will invest Rs 1,200
crore over the next five years on
developing 13 housing projects
for senior citizens. Tata Housing
-- a subsidiary of Tata Sons -- has
launched the first project Riva
Residences in Bengaluru and will
now expand its presence in the
senior living segment by taking the
concept to eight more cities.
“There are 98 million people of
60 years and this number is going
to double by 2030. Homes for senior
citizens will be a very good and viable
market for real estate developers,”
said Tata Housing Managing Director
& CEO Brotin Banerjee.
Stating that the company received
good response for its first senior
living project in Bengaluru, he
said the company has decided to
expand this segment by adding more
projects in its ongoing and future
townships.
“We will be investing Rs 1,000-
1,200 crore by 2018 to develop 13
projects across 8 cities,” he said,
adding that people of 55 years
and above only can reside in these
projects. The company is targeting
to capture 25 per cent of the total
market size of 2018 poised to reach
Rs 4,000 crore. These projects would
be in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata,
Chennai, National Capital Region
and Pune.
DOMESTIC
S Africa woos
Indian investments in Sezs
South Africa plans to offer special
incentives to tap investment from
India in the special economic zones
being promoted across each of its
nine provinces. The country currently
has four Industrial Development
Zones (IDZs), primarily focusing on
exports.
The South African government
had already announced various
incentives to attract investment,
but it is studying various models
adopted by different countries,
including China and India, to woo
more investment.
Elizabeth Thabethe, the country’s
Deputy Minister for Trade & Industry
said it will choose the best practices
adopted by each country to arrive at
a comprehensive plan to promote
investment in the special economic
zone (Sez), which would focus on
boosting domestic demand.
Coal India and South Africa’s
Department of Trade & Industry
recently decided to team up to
explore mutual prospects in the coal
sector. The South African government
is planning to invest $4 trillion to
develop infrastructure across the
country, she said.
South Africa and India have
already surpassed the trade target
of $15 billion set for 2015, and a new
target would be fixed in coming days.
Indian companies have invested
about $7 billion in South Africa,
while South African countries have
investments of $610 million in India.
Land prices in Noida and Gurgaon
may fall in coming years as Delhi
market is likely to get 70,000 acres of
land after the announcement of DDA
new land pooling policy, according to
property consultant CBRE.
“The land pooling policy will prove
to be positive for the National Capital
Region (NCR) in the long-term, since
land prices in the suburban markets of
Gurgaon and Noida would eventually
rationalize with fresh supply coming
into the Delhi market,” said CBRE
South Asia Chairman & Managing
Director Anshuman Magazine.
The consultant highlighted that
DDA has identified about 200 villages
along the outskirts of Delhi for this
scheme. It intends to convert around
90 villages into ‘development areas’
and about another 90 into ‘urban
villages’.
Magazine also noted that certain
peripheral locations of Delhi with large
land parcels have been witnessing
price rises to the tune of two to
three times over the course of about
six quarters. These locations are
land parcel along the NH-1, north
Delhi (Akbarpur, Mazra), north-west
Delhi (Rohini, Narela), west Delhi
(Najafgarh, Dwarka) and areas of
south Delhi (Masoodpur, Kishangarh,
Chhatarpur, etc)
Gurgaon, Noida
land price may fall
Tata Housing to invest
in retirement homes
Primarc invests `300 cr in Bengal real estate
Primarc Group, which runs the
‘Crossword’ franchisee in West
Bengal, has invested nearly Rs 300
crore in real estate projects in the
state. At least six projects across
the IT-township of Sector V in Salt
Lake, Kolkata proper and other fringe
areas and suburbs like Birati and
Chandannaore are already under
various stages of construction.
Apart from Crossword, the
Kolkata-based group is also the
master franchisee for Raymond in the
eastern region and has interest in the
real estate sector also. According to
Sidharth Pansari, Director, Primarc
Group, around 1,600-1,700 new
residential units will be added
through these projects over the next
five to six years.
“Among the ongoing projects, the
one in Salt Lake is for commercial
use. Except a super-premium project
(Astitva) in Kolkata, other residential
projects would be in the mid-to-high
range,” he said.
Most of the mid-to-high range
apartments would have a carpet
area (area covered by the rooms)
600- 800 sq ft and fall under the price
bracket of Rs 25 -35 lakh. These
would mostly be two- and three-
bedroom homes.
The super-premium project would
have apartments measuring between
1,600-3,500 sq ft, and price upwards
of Rs 1 crore. According to Pansari,
Astitva has been given a green
building certification and designed
to ensure less power consumption,
reuse waste water and rainwater
harvesting.
Acumen to invest in low-income
housing in India
Acumen Fund, a New York-
based not-for-profit venture fund for
businesses that address poverty, is
about to make its first investment in
the low-income housing space in
India. “We will be investing up to $8
million (nearly Rs 50 crore) in India in
2014, of which around $2 million will
be invested in the low-income housing
space,” said Karuna Jain, a senior
portfolio associate of Acumen Fund.
“We are actively looking at housing
finance companies to invest in and will
close our first investments in a couple
of months.”
Acumen has made 27 investments
in India till date across sectors such
as agriculture, education, energy and
health. In 2013, the fund invested
around $5 million in India. Jain said
most of the capital Acumen invests in
India comes from its global corpus,
but it is now looking to raise additional
funds locally.
“The challenge with low-income
housing is that, most of the funds for
low-incomehousing availablerightnow
are between the Rs 12-25 lakh bracket.
We are looking to serve the customer
segment which is earning a Rs 20,000
per month salary in a city and will invest
in housing finance companies which
will, in turn, give loans in rural areas
and also to registered slums. We will
invest in developers and are looking
to invest in Rs 3-10 lakh projects,”
said Jain.
According to a report by property
consultant JLL, the loan market for
the Rs 3-10 lakh low-income housing
segment is worth nearly Rs 11 trillion.
The key issue that stops people
from availing housing loans in the
Rs 3-10 lakh bracket, the report
said, is the perceived high risk of the
borrowers—that is fears of uneven
repayments and loans turning into
non-performing assets.
In India, Acumen will not only invest
in new home developments, but also
in home improvements, temporary
housing, etc.
Challenging outlook
for cement sector
The outlook for the cement industry
continues to remain challenging with
both demand and prices continuing
to be under pressure, said rating
agency Icra.
“The demand for cement was
sluggish during Q2 FY14 -- a seasonal
phenomenon -- due to a slowdown
in construction activities during
the monsoon season,” said Icra
Senior Vice President Sabyasachi
Majumdar.
“Contrary to expectations, cement
demand failed to pick up even in
the post-monsoon season due
to continuing weak demand from
infrastructure and real estate sector,
and shortage of labour due to festive
season,” he said.
Delays in environmental clearances
for industrial and infrastructure projects
and sand unavailability in some
states contributed to the slow growth,
Majumdar said. Cement demand is
expected to recover in the past quarter,
driven by rural housing demand
following increased incomes due to
good monsoons and pre-election
spending by state governments,
primarily on road strengthening and
improvements, state highways and
power transmission, said Icra.
On cement prices, coupled with
rise in raw material, domestic coal
and freight costs has put pressure on
the profitability of cement companies.
The growth in cement dispatches on
YoY basis remained sluggish in Q3
FY14 given the lacklustre demand from
end-user industries.
According to Icra study, for most
of the cement company’s modest
volume growth coupled with pricing
pressures resulted in y-o-y decline in
revenues in Q3 FY14. The profitability
margins also came under pressure in
Q3 FY14 due to the inability to pass on
the rising costs.

4. March 10-16, 2014 4INFRASTRUCTURE
Centre nod to infra projects
worth `16,057 cr
The Centre has cleared seven
infrastructure projects worth Rs 16,057
crore that fall under the ministries of
road and shipping. The Public Private
Partnership Approval Committee
(PPPAC), chaired by Economic Affairs
Secretary Arvind Mayaram, has
cleared six projects of the Ministry of
Road, Transport & Highways and one
of the Shipping Ministry.
The projects would have an
estimated cost of Rs 16,057.45
crore, said an official statement. The
projects approved in the road sector
include widening and strengthening
of Bikaner-Phalodi section of NH-
15 in Rajasthan, Delhi-Meerut
Expressway and other connecting
roads in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
The four-laning of Amritsar-
Bhatinda section of NH-15 in Punjab,
and four-laning of Sultanpur-Varanasi
section of NH-56 in Uttar Pradesh
was also cleared by the PPPAC.
The project approved in the port
sector pertains to development of
additional liquid bulk terminal at
Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in
Maharashtra
The Centre cleared the Rs 6,284.20
crore six-laning project of Eastern
Peripheral Expressway to accelerate
development in Haryana and Uttar
PradeshandeasetrafficintheNational
Capital. The expressway connects
national highways of Haryana and
Uttar Pradesh, bypassing Delhi. The
government approved the project
by implementing the build, operate
& transfer (BoT-Annuity) in design,
build, finance, operate & transfer
(DBFOT) pattern.
The Rs 6,284.20-crore estimates
include the cost of land acquisition,
resettlement and rehabilitation and
other pre- construction activities.
The total length of the road will be
approximately 135 km, after the
Cabinet Committee on Economic
A f f a i r s ( C C E A ) c l e a r e d t h e
proposal.
The project will expedite
improvement of infrastructure in
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and the
development of this stretch will also
help in uplifting socio-economic
condition of this region. The project
covers districts of Sonepat, Faridabad
and Palwal in Haryana and Baghpat,
Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad
in Uttar Pradesh.
Implementation of this project will
free Delhi roads of huge volume of
trucks and buses that pass through
the capital every day, and help reduce
pollution levels in the city, said the
statement.
CCEA clears `6,000-cr
Eastern Peripheral e’way
L&T wins `1,550-cr
Oman road project
The Transportation Infrastructure
Business of L&T has bagged an
international order worth ` Rs 1,550
crore from the Ministry of Transport
& Communications, Sultanate of
Oman, for the construction of a road
between Bidbid-Sur section (second
phase, first part).
The scope of L&T’s works involves
widening of the existing 76 km
two-lane road into three-lane dual
carriageway, the construction of 10
arch type interchanges, 5 two-cell
vehicular underpasses, 7 single-cell
pedestrian underpasses and 15 km
of linked and service roads along
the stretch.
The project is scheduled to be
completed in 38 months, when it will
transform the existing single-lane
carriageway into an international-
class, all-weather motorway, on
which vehicles can be driven at a
speed of 120 km per hour.
On winning the unique road
project in Oman, S N Subrahmanyan,
Member of the Board & Sr EVP
(infrastructure and construction),
L&T, said, “This order augers well
for L&T’s business expansion
plans in the infrastructure space in
the GCC markets. L&T has been
making significant strides in the
transportation infrastructure sector,
both in international and domestic
markets through our well-established
capabilities in design, engineering
and project execution with top class
quality and safety standards.”
Solar Energy Corp to set up
1,000-mw park in AP
RPP Infra bags `64-cr orders in TN
Solar Energy Corporation of India
(Seci) has announced its decision to
set up a 1,000 mw solar photovoltaic
power generation park on a 5,000-
acre site in the backward district of
Mahboobnagar of Andhra Pradesh
(located in Telangana), which entails
an outlay of Rs 8,000 crore to Rs
10,000 crore.
“The entire capacity will come up
over the next 18 to 24 months. The
site identified by the Mahboobnagar
collector will be made ready with
necessary infrastructure with an
initial outlay of Rs 600 crore,” said
RPP Infra Projects said it has
won Rs 64 crore contracts in Tamil
Nadu, taking the size of order book
to Rs 700 crore. The company has
won a few contracts in the state. The
company’s order book position has
jumped to Rs 7,000 million (Rs 700
crore), the company said in a filing
to the BSE.
The recent contracts include
projects for combined water supply
scheme for 212 habitations in different
Rajendra Nimje, MD, Seci, the nodal
agency for implementation of solar
power projects in the country.
The corporation has entered
into an agreement with the Andhra
Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure
Corporation for facilitation of the
land. While the basic infrastructure
will be ready within five to six months,
developers will be chosen through
a competitive bidding process. The
solar units will be modular with 10 mw
and above.
The Seci has tied up with
Japanese lending agency Jica for
unions in Trichy district for the Tamil
Nadu Water & Drainage Board for
Rs 38 crore, to be completed in 12
months.
The company said it “also recently
won a contract for implementation of
phase-2 eco-restoration in 300 acres
of Adayar Estuary & Creek in Chennai
for a value of Rs 155.10 million (Rs
15.51 crore)”.
It said the project will be
completed in 24 months. Besides,
initial infrastructure and plans to
provide loans at lower interest rates
for the developers. This could be
4-5 per cent through various multi-
lateral agencies like the World Bank,
the Asian Development Bank, and
through the Clean Energy Fund.
“We have already signed for a
4,000 mw solar PV park in Rajasthan,
which will be amongst the biggest
such parks in the world and are also
planning at least four more solar parks
to be located in Odisha, Tamil Nadu,
Rajasthan, and another one possibly
in Andhra Pradesh,” said Nimje.
it also got a project for construction
of hostel block for Anna University
Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu for Rs
10 crore, to be completed in 12
months.
RPP Infra Projects CMD Arul
Sundaram said, “In spite of
infrastructure companies being
faced with turbulent times, we in RPP
believe this year is looking very good
with many orders and a few more in
the pipeline.”
Projects worth `1,700-cr
launched in UP
Cabinet note on FDI in rail,
construction ready
With the Model Code of Conduct
likely to come into force soon, Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh
Yadav launched a number of
infrastructure projects worth over
Rs 1,700 crore in the state.
He dedicated to public over
1,800 government tube wells under
the Ram Manohar Lohia New Tube
Well Project, and six projects of
housing, urban development and
tourism departments in Agra. The
Model Code of Conduct will come
into force the moment the Lok Sabha
election schedule is announced by
the Election Commission, which is
likely sometime this week.
Speaking on the occasion,
the Chief Minister said the state
government has also prepared a
detailed programme to connect
all district headquarters with four-
lane roads. Chief Secretary Javed
Usmani said that of the schemes
launched today, Rs 307 crore was
being spent on setting up of 1,820
government tube wells.
Also, 27 important roads with a
combined length of 541 km would
Union Commerce & Industry
Minister Anand Sharma said the
cabinet note on allowing foreign
direct investment (FDI) in the railway
and construction sectors has been
cleared. “Yes, we have cleared the
Cabinet note on the FDI proposal
in the railway and construction
sectors,” he said. Sharma signed
the MoUs with the state government
be widened and strengthened by
the PWD department with a cost
of Rs 980 crore, he added. Yadav
also announced to shift the Gomti
Barrage at Lucknow and construct
a new one in Rampur. Irrigation &
PWD Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav
said that under the irrigation system
in UP, 72,000 acres of area was being
irrigated by 74,000 km long canal
system.
The PWD minister said 3,000
new tube wells would be installed
in the next three years and irrigation
schemes have been launched in
Bundelkhand region, which is often
affected by drought.
Usmani said the foundation stone
of Agra inner ring road project has
also been laid. He said the 11 km
ring road between Uberpur and
Fatehabad would be constructed by
the Agra Development Authority with
a cost of Rs 306 crore.
In addition to this he said the
beautification and development of
Tajganj area would be done with a
cost of Rs 108 crore.
and other stakeholders for the Delhi
Mumbai Industrial Corridor project.
The Department of Industrial
Policy & Promotion had proposed
relaxation of FDI norms in the
construction sector and 100 per
cent FDI in the railway sector. “We
hope liberalization of FDI in both
the sectors will be a major step,”
said Sharma.

5. March 10-16, 2014 5IN PERSON
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2007, Durg (Chhattisgarh) in 2010,
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at Katni (Madhya Pradesh) and
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during 2003. The market of Wall Putty
was initially replacing the traditional
way of application. Now, a stage has
come where the product has to grow
by itself which has been growing
for last many years and replace in
future the remaining markets where
the traditional way of application is
still being continued. The product
itself is technically sound, very
convenient and user-friendly for
applicators and gives aesthetic value
of a beautiful home. This is the major
reason for which the product is well
‘Walplast contributes towards ever-growing
needs of the construction industry’
Tell us about your product range.
What are the guidelines, quality
parameters followed in your
product range?
Our product range includes Wall
Putty, Plasto Proof, Crack Filler, Sanla,
Ready-Mix Tile Adhesive, Ready-Mix
of new products for the construction
industry. To be more specific, the
availability of natural sand for plaster is
verylow.TheR&DcentreofWalplasthas
started the process of manufacturing
sand, and today we are in the final
stages of manufacturing sand.
accepted and growing in all parts of
the country, irrespective of metros or
small villages.
Easy Plast is the product for the
next generations to come where it
improves and enhances the quality
and durability of plasters. Thus,
giving a long life to buildings. This
product is again a user-friendly for
the applicators and quality committed
product to consumers.
Easy Plast Readymix Plaster brings
down the actual wastages at site
and improves the quality of the final
application. Easy Plast Readymix
Plaster can be applied with spray
machine also which drastically brings
down the labour cost and time.
Easy Plast has one more such
product which is called Block Jointing
Mortar which is used for erecting
walls of blocks. It gives extra strength
by the way of adhesion between two
blocks with a minimum thickness
of approx 3 mms as against the
traditional mortar with a thickness of
10 to 12 mms. The polymer in this
product plays a very vital role.
Walplast Wall Putty is well
accepted in countries of the Asian
Pacific Zone and we export to some
countries in Africa and the Middle
East. We envisage huge scope
for export market which is to be
explored.
Plaster and Block Jointing Mortar.
As there is no specific ISI
specification for these products,
Walplast is using the parameters
specified by the Singapore Housing
Development Board and the European
and American standards which are
of international standard to test its
products.
Walplast is in the process of
getting IS code number for its new
products which is at the finalization
stage. Till date, we have been using
the quality parameters of other
countries of international standard.
Tell us about the innovation and
R&D at your end.
Walplast, when started in 2004,
initially the first thing it could
understand was the need to maintain
the quality parameters and then to
keep on upgrading the same. This
was and is the only reason Walplast
could thrive in this competitive
market.
For this, Walplast has set up a
full-fledged R&D Centre at its head
office in Navi Mumbai and continues
to establish such laboratories in each
and every manufacturing units. Our
R&D centre is continuously evaluating
new construction polymers and
improve the existing quality.
Walplast is working on innovations
Any plans for new product
l a u n c h e s ? A n d b u s i n e s s
diversification plans?
Walplast’s R&D centre is
continuously in the process of
innovating new products and is now
focusing only on drymix products for
construction. Today, we are working
on the dry texture which is presently
available in paste form. This product
is already passed all the quality
tests and commercial sampling is
going on.
After getting the feedback from
the market, Walplast will launch this
product in the market. We are also
working on dry primer which is at
R&D stages. Another product we
are working on is the gypsum-based
plasters by adding new polymer to
give better adhesion, whiteness and
easy application. This product can
also be applied by spray machine.
What are your plans and strategies
ahead?
As these construction materials are
of low value products, Walplast has
decided to develop manufacturing
facilities in different parts of the
country to cater to the needs of
consumers all over India. For Easy
Plast, the company will establish
multi-city plants for manufacturing
Easy Plast with manufacturing sand
as volume of this product is very
high.
Give us your outlook for the
industry.
The construction industry is
probably the oldest industry since
the revolution of mankind. Since then
it has shown the phenomenal change
by way of value addition, durability
and quality in all the buildings being
constructed.
We knew every phase of
improvements and the needs of
architects, and many companies
like Walplast contribute towards the
ever-growing needs of improvement
and technical advancement in the
construction industry.
There were days when even a
single- or double-storey building was
viewed like a masterpiece or wonder.
But with development and progress,
new techniques and improvements
took place in all industries, including
the construction industry. Nowadays,
multi-storey buildings have become
very common not only in metros, but
also in all cities, towns and villages.

6. March 10-16, 2014 6PROJECTS UPDATE
MSRDC invites RfQ for
Versova-Bandra Sea Link project
DMIC’s first phase launched
in Maharashtra
Dedicated Freight
Corridor project on track
ADB inks $300 m loan
accord with India
for road projects
The Maharashtra government
has launched the first phase of the
ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial
Corridor project that aims at
generating industrial output of Rs 20
lakh crore by 2042.
The mega-infrastructure project
will be developed in two phases. The
first one includes development of
Shendre-Bidkin industrial city and an
exhibition-cum-convention centre in
Aurangabad, alongwith multi-modal
logistics park at Karmad and water
supply scheme for Shendre.
In the second phase, projects to be
taken up include Dighi port industrial
area, Dhule mega industrial park,
While most of the land acquisition
and statutory clearances for the
Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) are
complete, project execution has also
begun with the award of civil contracts
for 1,100 km.
The 1,110 km covers two legs of
the Eastern corridor — Mughalsarai-
Sonnagar and Khurja-Kanpur — and
Rewari to Palanpur on the Western
side. Construction, mainly excavation
and earthwork, has already started on
these sections.
Track-laying is also part of civil
works.Tenders for another 1,260 km
of civil works are in various stages
of finalization. “We hope to invite
bids and award contracts for these
by December,” said R K Gupta,
Managing Director, DFC Corporation
of India Ltd (DFCCIL).
Alongside, tendering for systems
Nashik-Sinnar-Igatpuri investment
region, multimodal logistic park, and
greenfield mega city in Ahmednagar
will be taken up.
“These projects have the potential
to make Maharashtra emerge as a
world leader in manufacturing and
to generate an additional 38 lakh
manufacturing jobs in the state with
an additional industrial output of Rs
20 lakh crore by 2042,” said Chief
Minister Prithviraj Chavan after the
formal signing of the shareholder and
state support agreements.
The state government will take up
the development of Shendre-Bidkin
industrial city in the first leg, which
contracts — covering electrical (laying
overhead wires and substations) and
signalling works — is underway for
2,200 km so that they could also be
awarded this year.
“Once civil contracts are awarded
for a stretch, we want electrical
and signaling, along with testing
and commissioning of the line to
be completed in four years’ time.
There will be intermediate milestones
for contractors within this four-year
timeline,” said Gupta.
Thus, if the work of the electrical
or signaling contractors is delayed
because of the civil contractor, DFCCIL
will pay compensation to the former by
penalizing the latter. The penalties
would be around 0.5 per cent of the
contract value per month.
One major problem DFCCIL is
now facing in award of contracts is Multilateral funding agency. the
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
has entered into a $300 million loan
agreement with India to help improve
road connectivity along key corridors
in Chhattisgarh.
“The project has been approved
with an objective to improve more
than 900 km of state roads, in line
with the Chhattisgarh Road Master
Plan, involving upgradation of road
sections and strengthening culverts
and bridges,” said a statement from
the Finance Ministry.
The agreement was signed
by Nilaya Mitash, Joint Secretary
(Multilateral Institutions), the
Department of Economic Affairs
on behalf of the Government of
will have an investment of Rs 17,319
crore.
The Maharashtra government and
the DMIC Trust have formed a joint
venture for developing these projects
wherein the state will have 51 per
cent stake, while the rest will be held
by DMIC.
“The DMIC projects in Maharashtra
would cover nearly 29 per cent of land
area and 18 per cent project influence
area. Around 26 per cent of the state’s
population would come under the
corridor that covers eight districts
-- Thane, Raigad, Pune, Dhule,
Nandurbar, Nashik, Ahmednagar and
Aurangabad.
the absence of sufficient number
of bids, especially in the Western
corridor that is being funded by the
Japan International Cooperation
Agency (Jica). The Jica-funding norms
stipulate involvement of a Japanese
partner as the lead contractor even in
civil contracts.
This has resulted in poor bidding,
as not many Japanese firms are willing
to enter the Indian civil construction
market. In one of the Western corridor
civil contract — for a 322 km stretch
between Iqbalgarh and Vadodara —
awarding got delayed by eight months
because of a single bidder, which
DFCCIL officials are not comfortable
with. In contrast, there has been no
dearth of bidders for the Eastern
corridor contracts. On completion,
much of the project is expected to go
live by 2018 — the DFC will increase
freight capacity on trains, apart from
reducing transit time for moving goods.
At present, the average speed
of goods trains in India is about
25 km per hour. The main reason
for it is the higher priority given to
passenger trains, which share the
same congested railway network.
This is despite freight generating
two-thirds of the Indian Railways’ total
revenues.
The DFC tracks will move only
goods trains. That will make it possible
for freight customers to also avail
themselves of time-tabled services
— a privilege now extended only to
passenger trains. Train speeds may
go up three times as would be fully
automated signaling and no level-
crossings.
“Also, not having to stop multiple
times will lead to the trains consuming
less fuel,” pointed out H D Gujrati,
Director-Operations & Business
Development, DFCCIL.
India and M Teresa Kho, Officer-in
-Charge, the ADB’s India resident
mission on behalf of the ADB.
“The project targets key corridors
in Chhattisgarh and will significantly
contribute to improving road
connectivity in the state,” said the
statement quoting Mitash.
The loan will be funded from
ADB’s ordinary capital resources. It
has a principal repayment period of
20 years, and annual interest set in
accordance with ADB’s Libor-based
lending facility, it added.
The government of Chhattisgarh
will provide counterpart finance
of about $128 million to cover the
estimated total project cost of $428
million.
Two major tunnel projects on
Jammu- Srinagar national highway
to reduce the distance between twin
capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar,
would be completed in 2016, the state
Legislative Council was informed.
Work on Banihal-Qazigund tunnel
and Chenani-Nashri tunnel projects is
in progress. These projects are likely
to be completed by June, 2016 and
May, 2016 respectively, said Minister
of State for Revenue Ajaz Ahmad
Khan in a reply to a question by S
Bashir Ahmad Veeri (NC).
Khan said construction work for
widening of North-South corridor of
national highway-1-A from Lakhanpur,
Kathua to Parimpora, Srinagar is
going on and is being executed by
the National Highways Authority of
India (NHAI) and the Border Road
Organisation (BRO).
He said widening of the stretch
from Lakhanpur to Jammu (Kunjwani)
has been completed, while work
on Jammu-Udhampur stretch is
in progress and is expected to be
completed by December. Work on
Udhampur-Cheneni road stretch is to
be started, while the work on Chenani-
Nashri tunnel is going on in full swing
and is expected to be completed by
May, 2016, he said.
Khan informed that work on
Ramban-Banihal section has not
been taken up so far as the approval
for the stretch is pending with the
Union Ministry of Road, Transport &
Highways.
He said as far as Banihal and
remaining part of the national highway
in Kashmir division is concerned,
there are two stretches -- Banihal-
Srinagar and Srinagar-Uri -- which
are being executed by the NHAI and
BRO respectively.
Work on Banihal-Qazigund tunnel
is in progress and is likely to be
completed by June, 2016, he said.
Land for construction of Qazigund-
Srinagar road has been handed over
to the NHAI and work on the stretch
is expected to be completed by this
year-end, he said.
Tunnel projects on
Jammu-Srinagar highway
by 2016
Ahead of the announcement of the
code of conduct for the ensuing Lok
Sabha polls, the state-run Maharashtra
State Road Development Corporation
(MSRDC) has invited request for
qualification (RfQ) for the Rs 5,975
crore Versova-Bandra Sea Link (VBSL)
project.
The 9.9 km project would be
developed through public private
partnership on a design, build, finance,
operate and transfer basis. The VBSL
project would be built 900 metres
into the sea. It would be a northward
extension of the Bandra-Worli Sea
Link and would be the last leg of the
link which starts from Nariman Point
in south Mumbai.
“The project is expected to be
complete in four years. All the requisite
clearances including environment
clearances are in the MSRDC’s
possession,” said MSRDC Chairman
& Public Works Minister Jaidutt
Kshirsagar.
He informed that the state cabinet
sub-committee on infrastructure
headed by Chief Minister Prithviraj
Chavan had given its consent at its
meeting held in January. He added
that the bidders would have to submit
an RfQ by May 30.
This is one of the crucial
infrastructure projects proposed by the
Congress-Nationalist Congress Party
government, with a total investment
of Rs 66,000 crore in Mumbai and
adjoining areas.
On February 1, the Mumbai
Metropolitan Region Development
Authority (MMRDA) commissioned
the first phase of monorail services
between Wadala and Chembur, while
on February 5, the City & Industrial
Development Corporation (Cidco)
floated an RfQ for the much-delayed
Navi Mumbai International Airport.
On February 12, the MMRDA
threw open the Sahar Elevated Road,
connecting the Western Expressway
to Terminal 2 of the airport.
The government hopes the 12
km Mumbai Metro phase-1Versova-
Andheri-Gahtkopar corridor will be
operational in March. Furthermore,
the 6.54 km Santacruz-Chembur
Link Road project, which has already
missed 11 deadlines since its inception
in 2003, would be opened for vehicular
traffic during this month.

7. March 10-16, 2014 7CASE STUDY
The WeSchool institute
campus at its workshop
in Mumbai discussed
the growing concerns
of Mumbai, highlighting
key infrastructure
issues like water supply,
drainage system, waste
management and
challenges of creating
an educational township
The ‘2014 Interdesign Mumbai’
workshop, a collaborative initiative
of Principal L N Welingkar Institute
of Management Development &
Research (WeSchool) and the
International Council of Societies of
Industrial Design (ICSID) successfully
concluded an exhibition at WeSchool
campus in Mumbai on February 18,
2014. The exhibition showcased
around 25 prototypes created by
participants.
Under the overarching theme
‘Humanising a Metropolis’, 30
designers from India and 8 other
countries with different design
competences came together to
address some of the social and
infrastructure challenges facing the
growing city of Mumbai.
Mumbai’s key issues
The participants worked on 6 sub-
themes based on pre-research done
by WeSchool faculty. They visited
various precincts to further understand
the design bottlenecks faced by
the city, focusing on key issues like
drainage system, waste management,
challenges of creating an educational
township, socializing in a metro,
improving outdoor experience for
citizens, chaotic shopping experience,
lifestyle-related health problems,
etc, and ideated on the probable
solutions which can be practically
implemented.
With sub-themes like ‘Visualising
Matunga as a University Township’,
‘Living with Rain’, ‘Zero Waste
Household’, ‘Redefining the Outdoor
Experience’, ‘Health on the Go’ and
‘The Great Indian Bazaar (unorganized
and organized retail)’, the exhibition of
the prototypes at the open house
showcased many of these solutions
which could later be applied in other
Indian metropolises and emerging
international economies.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof
Dr Uday Salunkhe, Group Director,
WeSchool said, “This is the first time
ICSID-Interdesign workshop was
held in India and we are happy to be
hosting it. For the past two weeks,
WeSchool has been an innovation
hub with experienced designers from
India and abroad devising ways and
means to bring about simple design
interventions, to tackle some of the
critical infrastructural and social
challengesinametropolislikeMumbai.”
Water supply and zero waste
Living with rain: The core idea is
to capture and reuse water, increase
awareness about water usage. The
prototype focuses on Mithi as it
receives the monsoon water and can
be turned into a sustainable water
supply to the city of Mumbai. The idea
is to turn Mithi river into a clean and
fresh water body by the year 2030.
Design a schematic map of Mithi
river by mapping its origin in a fresh
water lake. Plotting the small changes
that could be made in different parts
of the river like building dams, filters,
etc and turning it into a fresh water
reservoir.
Mumbai’s infra and social challenges
Create awareness among people
who have/don’t have abundant water
supply.
Waste water recycling and
beautification of Five Gardens.
Develop Frog Island.
Environmental awareness through
enhanced signage.
The prototype also makes
suggestions to improve and make
Mumbai’s water distribution system
equitable by adopting the following
model.
Install water recycling system in
apartment blocks.
Models of toilets and showers
for slumdwellers: Taps with different
colours.
White: drinkable; Grey: washing
hands, cleaning and bathing. Black:
toilets
Zero waste household
Under this theme the participants
worked on developing ideas and
prototypes to address the issue of
lack of proper waste management
in Mumbai with the slogan, “If less is
more, then zero is everything.”
(Contd. on pg 8)

8. March 10-16, 2014 8case study
$761-million road plan with neighbour countries
A f t e r p r o p o s i n g a t r a n s -
Asia highway to connect India
with Thailand, the Centre has
now proposed to improve road
connectivity under the Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical
& Economic Cooperation (Bimstech)
with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan.
According to a senior Road
Ministry official, agencies such as
ADB (the Asian Development Bank)
and the Jica (the Japan International
Cooperation Agency) have shown
keen interest to assist India with
these road projects in terms of
funding and construction expertise.
There are seven projects which
The following designs are created
for the same:
Public display and communication:
To effectively communicate to citizens
about the impact and hazards of
improper waste disposal. This will
encourage people to manage waste
generated at an individual level by
knowing, owning and fearing its side
effects.
Technology and devises: Installing
smart devices like smart water meter
and gear-based taps that will help
track water consumption through
smart phone.
Recycle & reuse: To promote
the concept of reuse, reduce and
recycle.
Segregation, collection and
disposal: Adopt smart material
techniques like putting visual
metaphors on waste bins to trigger
segregation, timely collection and
disposal.
Community project: Create
awareness about the importance of
waste management amongst various
communities to promote a zero waste
household.
Teach your kids: Use of card game
and piggy bins to instill in children a
clear understanding about efficient
waste disposal.
Habitat design: Develop modular
designs and efficiently use available
space and resources.
Floating community habitat
Prof Hakan Mattsson, a lecturer
at School of Innovation, Design &
Engineering (Mälardalen University,
Sweden) has also designed a futuristic
sea-based floating community habitat.
A community accommodation built
from blocks of recycled waste material
will have a flexible fresh water reservoir
at its centre that will store rainwater
during the monsoon. During the non-
monsoon season, the condensation
of cool sea breeze will trickle down
into the reservoir, thus, keeping the
level of fresh water in the reservoir
always full.
Social spaces/redefining the
outdoor experiences for citizens: The
main aim here is to invoke people’s
consciousness about being a part of
Mumbai city. It involves community
planning by involving the community
in every step of identifying and solving
problems.
The prototypes created under this
theme complement each other and
touch upon the various aspects of
a society. Some of the prototypes
created are as follows:
Maa Mumbai
To motivate people to revitalize
Maa Mumbai and reinstall its previous
glory by 2020 with a spirit of her old
self by creating a link between the city,
its people and the ‘Panchtatva’ the five
elements (air, water, earth, fire and
space, that are linked to five senses --
Space (sight), Air (smell), Fire (touch),
Water (sound), Earth (taste).
These elements and its experience
on the senses for Mumbai will be
brought out in the prototype, For
example, connecting ether, that
is, space with physical and virtual
vision, like creating different kinds of
sunglasses to help track the various
objects in the city by bar-coding them,
which can be scanned by citizens
using a smart phone.
It is also suggested to create a
databank of the city’s various arte
facts or monuments or objects of
historic importance like oldest tree,
statues, temples, etc which can also
be read using a smart phone or I-pad
with the help of bar-code system.
One prototype reflects a space
which has been redesigned to include
all the 5 elements in the form or a
garden, a walking path, a children’s
play area and a vertical tower which
has been made using the 3-D Printer.
The tower has 5 levels and each level
gives experience of each of the 5
elements.
The second prototype is a complete
road which leads into a sea/waterfront
-– as a person moves from one end
of the street to the other he/she
gets experiences of each of the five
elements in a unique and soothing
manner.
A parkoscope is a two-sided
turning wheel with images of animals,
trees, people, etc that will tickle
people’s imagination and help create
memories to associate and feel
related with social spaces.
Great Indian bazaar
As Matunga was the first gardened
landscaped settlement in Mumbai,
the focus of this theme is to transform
Matunga into a prime destination by
designing a cultural, emotional and
nostalgic experience.
It involves various timely
interventions like developing a
model bazaar which will also be a
multipurpose space for the old and the
young in the city to meet shop and get
various cultural experiences that will
create memories in the history book.
The idea is to create an inclusive
design that will bring together citizens
of all classes, thereby creating a
unique but diverse brand identity for
Matunga with its eminent local culture,
markets and aromas. The participants
aim to promote change under the
opportunity areas identified like:
Services: Introduction of changing
bazaars near Kings Circle flyover;
multipurpose spaces which can be
used for different purpose during
different parts of the day like jogging
tracks in the morning, parking area
during peak hours or a flee market
twice a week where people get
together to see culture like Mango
Mela or a handicrafts market which
will create a platform for people to
experience the spirit of Mumbai and
Matunga in its true sense
Socio-Cultural: To use the unused
and underused areas of Mumbai like
the space above the railway workshop
near Matunga station to turn it into
a parking lot or market zone with
stretches of greenery .
Navigation: Coming up with
brochures or pamphlets with
information on various places in the
city, encouraging alternate parking
depending on the need of the hour to
ease traffic congestion.
Retail: Responsible hawking by
empowering hawkers and recognizing
their efficiency, encouraging use of
standardized selling carts and the
like.
The above changes will be
implemented in phases to have
Matunga featured on Lonely Planet
by 2025 as one of the ‘Must visit
shopping destination in Mumbai’.
Health on the go
The main aim under this theme
is to create a system that will bring
a change in habits, mindsets and to
empower people to bring effective
transformations in their lives and
community spaces. For this, there is
Matunga as educational
township
Students these days are not
compelled enough to sit in classrooms,
attend lectures or visit libraries. The
participants under this theme tried
to address this issue by creating an
educationalhubwithsomethingtolearn
at every nook and corner so that even
if students don’t visit learning centres,
learning centres reach out to them.
This could be done by turning social
spaces and streets into classrooms
and areas of learning. Various design
and technology interventions will help
achieve this goal. It will not only help
in creating an educational hub but
also encourage students and citizens
to engage with the outdoor spaces to
learn, to enjoy, fulfilling their hobbies,
etc.
The prototype: Lakhamashi Napoo
Road at Matunga to be turned into
Celebration Street.
The design includes:
A widened and contoured road
with provisions for unobstructing
vehicle drop-off and pick-up bays.
The present parking on both sides
of the Napoo Road is proposed to
be removed and relocated to Telang
need for visualization and transparency
of real time data to influence people
in order to take action. Slum areas,
rich neighbourhoods and public
places need a designed a system that
encompasses all these.
Some of the prototypes created
under the themes include the
following:
Covering the sewage channels in
the city slums with greenery.
Rainwaterharvestingandspreading
greenery in affluent areas.
Human involvement to answer
the following questions: How can
Mumbaikars really enjoy the city?
Can the areas meant for transport/
bus stops be made better; how can
we bring greenery into these areas?
How can technology help us?
Street, behind the Welingkar-Podar-
Ruia campuses,
Interactive info-experiential
kiosks.
Open-learning amphitheatre that
bring about an interaction amongst
students and the public community.
The biomorphic street lighting
fixtures that provide a new visual
experience.
The mobile teaching bus takes
learning to the road.
Graphic street signage that
guides.
Prof Dr Uday
Salunkhe
Group Director,
WeSchool, Mumbai
have been shortlisted to improve
road connectivity in this region. Out
of these seven, three are in West
Bengal, three in Manipur and there is
also a major bridge to connect India
and Nepal, which will be built across
the Missi River, added the official.
The ADB has promised an
investment of $500 million for these
projects, estimated at a cost of
$761 million. Once the roads are
connected, Manipur will have direct-
linking highways with Myanmar and
West Bengal will have interlinking
highways with Nepal, Bangladesh
and Bhutan. The idea is to develop
the northeastern India as a trading
hub, enhancing the country’s trade
with East and Southeast Asia,
sources said.
These highways are for the last-
mile connectivity which is crucial
to boost trade and investments
within the Bimstec region. There is a
clear mandate from Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to build these at
the earliest to reduce trade costs and
capture a major share of the inter-
regional market which is currently
dominated by Chinese,” added the
official.
The Road Ministry, along with the
ministries of defence and external
affairs, has been mandated to
improve connectivity and logistical
issues faced by the region. “India is
currently interacting with transport
departments in Bangladesh,
Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal to
initiate and improve connectivity for
which Japan is also keen to help
Indian projects in terms of funding
and construction expertise,” added
the Road Ministry official. These
projects will be built on EPC mode
and will be done in two tranches over
the next two to four years.
Out of these seven projects, four
projects will be in the first tranche
and the next tranche will focus on
the remaining three. “In the first
phase, two projects in West Bengal
are almost ready as their DPR
has been approved. For the other
two projects in Manipur, central
government along with the state
government is preparing the DPR, for
approval. After DPRs are approved,
they will be up for further process for
consideration for construction,” said
the official.

9. March 10-16, 2014 9IN PERSON
scaffolding & form work - ad -10 02 14 .indd 2 2/10/2014 9:37:00 PM
“Client satisfaction, in terms of quality certification
needs substantial up- gradation. Otherwise, the
day is not far when external agencies will be
needed to do the regulation, says Atul Bhobe,
Managing Director, S N Bhobe Associates in this
interview with Remona Divekar. Excerpts:
S N Bhobe & Associates Pvt Ltd was
founded in 1964 by Damodar N Bhobe,
a civil engineer and Subhaschandra N
Bhobe, an architect. The company
specializes in architectural and
engineering projects.
It is ranked and reputed for its
strong track record in providing
rational solutions to problems faced
in urban development in infrastructure.
The group’s strategy is to make S N
Bhobe & Associates Pvt Ltd’s growth
in the sub-continent harmonious and
sustainable and increase progressively
its involvement in overseas projects
The consultancy is focused
on providing advisory services
for problem-solving in design,
construction, maintenance and repairs.
It provides services which meet or
exceed customer expectations, deliver
services on time, reduce cost by
using latest techniques, emphasize
and impart appropriate training for all
employees.
The company’s sustained efforts to
increase consulting business revenues
in the past five years have borne fruit.
With a concrete plan and a focused
strategy to achieve business growth
in its place, business revenues will
multiply manifold in the next five years
at a rapid pace.
As India builds its infrastructure, how
is the ready mix concrete industry
gaining pace as the most viable
option to speed up construction
process? Give us some variables
that influence the properties of
concrete?
W ith the advent of RMC,
somewhere in 1996, when we had
the first commercial RMC unit set up
in Mumbai, we have come a long way
with several units now available all over
the nation.
The RMC industry has come a
long way and is serving the rapid
pace of construction by allowing main
contractors to focus on the job which
is construction and taking care of all
problems related to concrete.
Of course, there has to be a lot of
regulation of these plants which are
now mushrooming all over the place
with all and sundry getting into the
business. The RMC suppliers have to
be self-regulated which means that
there should not be the need for an
external QA/QC inspector (like project
management consultants/supervising
engineer/independent engineer) to
inspect the material being supplied.
The current experience with existing
regulations with most suppliers is
bad. Client satisfaction, in terms of
quality certification needs substantial
upgradation. Otherwise, the day is
not far when external agencies will be
needed to do the regulation.
The RMC suppliers have to be
self-regulated which means that
there should not be the need for an
external QA/QC inspector (like project
management consultants/supervising
engineer/independent engineer) to
inspect the material being supplied.
The current experience with existing
regulations with most suppliers is
bad. Client satisfaction, in terms of
quality certification needs substantial
upgradation. Otherwise, the day is
not far when external agencies will be
needed to do the regulation.
What are the aggregates or
elements in concrete that have
been vital to strengthen the structure
thus providing support, filling and
embellishment to many buildings?
There cannot be any option to
producing and laying good concrete.
‘RMC industry serving rapid pace
of construction’
What are the important hallmarks
of ready-mixed concrete for higher
speed of construction essential for a
contractor to align the operation?
Location of the plant in close
proximity to pouring point, considering
the time lost in transit due to traffic
conditions especially in urban areas,
will govern the selection of the unit.
Track record, credibility of the vendor,
quality of the product and last but not
the least, the price will also affect the
selection.
What are the opportunities and
challenges in coming years for the
ready-mix concrete in the Indian
construction industry?
The biggest advantage is the
proliferation of the plants, but
unfortunately, this is also the biggest
problem. Without adequate self-
regulation, this is a technology which
can very easily end up being branded
as incorrect for Indian conditions.
While as the opportunities abound,
if the challenge of self-regulation is
not taken seriously by suppliers, we
could very well see these opportunities
going down the drain where setting up
of a regulator by the RMC suppliers,
for one.
The regulator on the lines of a BIS/
ISO certification could be set up by
institutions like the Indian Concrete
Institute, the American Concrete
Institute or the Institution of Engineers
(India). This would ensure uniform
acceptability almost on the line of an
IS/ISO certification.
However, this is easier said than done
and it has always been the challenge
to first produce the concrete and
second, to place it appropriately and
then thirdly – t o ensure that it achieves
the desired color, form and strength
to give the structure the desired
longevity.
Technology wise how has the Indian
construction industry benefitted in
today’s times since the late 40s than
Europeans and Americans. How
much more consumption is likely to
be expected from the current level
of around 3 per cent?
It is difficult to give specific
examples. We have always had
the advantage of learning from the
technology that was imported because
we could cut short the learning cycle,
avoid mistakes made by others and
bring only technology appropriate to
Indian conditions from the plethora of
technologies available worldwide.
Also, since we started late, we
always were privy to the best available,
time-tested techniques which were
then adopted for Indian conditions.
The consumption will rise exponentially
when all expected development
programmes will reach critical mass in
implementation maybe around 2016.
In what way does the using of ready-
mixed concrete have advantages
over site-mixed concrete? What is
the major difference between the
cost of ready-mixed and site-mixed
concrete?
The biggest difference between
the two is that one is produced by
experts dedicated to RMC, while
the other is produced by experts in
construction. The cost differential is
created because of various issues
like procurement policies, overheads
and taxes.
To determine grade wise concrete
requirements, how can an architect/
engineer work out on basic minimum
requirements to design concrete
mixes required at an appropriate
quantity at placement point?
This is the job of the construction
engineer. The planners (architects
and engineers in design office) have
to ensure that they create practical
designs so that it is constructible.
What are the Indian standards
of measurement on ready-mixed
concrete? (Does not include
miscalculation in volumes, deflection
or distortions of forms, loss of
entrained air, etc?)
No standards exist. This is where
regulation and standardization is
needed.
Brief us on the quality scheme
for RMC that involves continuous
monitoring on all stages of production
and supply order processing,
purchase/control on input materials,
concrete mix design and process
control.
Already manuals for these
are available. Specifications of
organizations like the NHAI, MoRTH,
Railways, CPWD, PWDs, etc are
available. Further, the RMC units own
quality plan, which is self-regulatory
and also available. The engineer,
generally, needs to accept and
approve the plan best suited for the
site under reference.

10. March 10-16, 2014 10Real Estate
Construct your own
bungalow
The cost of constructing
an independent house
can range from Rs
700-1,200 per sq ft,
depending on various
factors such as house
design, quality of
materials used, etc
Newer locations
offer more options
to investors, and are
attractive to a majority
of middle-income
home buyers due to
more amenities, more
open areas and better
infrastructure
purchase, the cost of obtaining
statutory clearances from various
authorities, the cost of obtaining an
electricity connection, the cost of raw
materials used in construction, the cost
of construction labour and the fees of
the architect and/or contractor.
The costs will vary depending on
where the plot is situated, as land
costs differ from city to city and area
to area. While the cost of building
materials would remain more or less
the same everywhere, the cost of
labour and also statutory permits
may differ in urban, semi-rural and
rural areas.
The cost of constructing an
independent house can range from
Rs 700-1,200 per sq ft, depending on
various factors such as house design,
quality of materials used, etc. The
entire construction process involves
excavation, foundation, stonework and
brickwork, roofing and waterproofing,
flooring, doors and windows, internal
and external finishes, water supply and
electricity connections and sanitary
works.
The cost of steel, cement, sand and
labour can increase significantly, and
have in fact increased a lot in recent
times. This is a function of the state of
While there are significant
advantagestobuyingareadybungalow
from a reputed developer, many
individuals prefer to build their own
homes as per their own specifications.
Here are some guidelines on what
involves in constructing your own
bungalow.
Suitable plot
Obviously, the first thing that is
required for constructing your own
bungalow is a suitable plot. The next
aspect required to commence building
a house on it are the necessary permits
from the concerned authorities.
This would include an NoC with
regards to land use from the local
zoning authority, a building permit
from the municipal corporation, load
approval from the electricity board,
etc. It is best to use the services of an
experienced architect or contractor,
since such professionals are familiar
with the process.
If the plot is being marketed as a
developed plot by a reputed developer,
there is very little stress involved
in establishing the legal veracity of
the land. If the plot is being bought
directly from individual owners, an
advocate experienced in property
matters should do a title check. It is not
advisable for a lay person to attempt
to do the due diligence without
professional assistance.
Costs and clearances
The overall costs of constructing
your own bungalow would include
the price of the plot, the stamp duty
payable to the government upon
the economy and availability of labour
at a given time in a certain area.
Local FSI norms
The FSI norms are laid out for urban
areas are inflexible. However, many
semi-urban and rural areas are not
bound by regulations with regards to
mandatory parking and open space
provision, rules pertaining to structural
safety or construction regulations such
as FSI.
The FSI norms within which you can
construct your own bungalow will not
be the same from area to area, and this
mainly depends on which corporation
limits the plot falls in, or if it falls under
gram panchayat jurisdiction.
These are three main aspects to
be considered for the construction
of a bungalow, but it is by no means
a complete list. Considering the
complexities involved, it often makes
sense to buy a bungalow rather than
construct one.
Thane: Small town to metropolis
Over the past decade, Thane
has grown from a small suburban
town on the outskirts of Mumbai to
a large self-sustaining metropolis.
It has graduated from a town with
narrow alleys and lanes to a city with
sprawling flyovers, uninterrupted
highways and wide roads -- from low-
rise organic residential developments
to integrated townships and high-
rise towers by reputed developers,
from high street mom-and-pop
retail to large plush malls, and
from piecemeal low-grade small
offices to an established information
technology destination.
W i t h t h e i m p r o v e m e n t o f
infrastructure, newer areas like
Ghodbunder Road and Kapurwadi
comparatively lower rates when
viewed against core Thane city,
Mulund and other areas.
Today, with many malls, hotels,
eateries and other amenities in being
place, Ghodbunder Road is seen
as offering more amenities, a better
lifestyle and infrastructure than other
location.
Majhiwada, an established area,
is considered the most premium
location in Thane. There are many
boutique projects coming up in this
location, and apartments are being
started becoming attractive by the
middle of the past decade. With
increased population in the core city
and the corresponding increased
pricing of real estate, Ghodbunder
Road started attracting more and
more home buyers due to the
affordability of the location.
Better infrastructure
With the pricing going up between
2010 and 2012 for all locations,
Ghodbunder Road still remained
a preferred destination for price-
sensitive home seekers due to its
Arvind Jain
Managing Director,
Pride Group
Kishor Pate
CMD, Amit Enterprises
Housing Ltd
sold at a price between INR 2 crore
to Rs 4 crore. Locations like Teen
Haath Naka, Pokhran Road No 2, etc
are commanding premiums over the
newer locations.
However, the newer locations are
also catching up fast and the prices
in those areas are appreciating
rapidly. These newer locations offer
more options to investors, and are
attractive to a majority of middle-
income home buyers due to more
amenities, more open areas and
better infrastructure.
Kalyan-Dombivli
Meanwhile, Kalyan is emerging as
an attractive location for end-users
and investors alike. Today, Thane
has become a premium location, and
housing there cannot be categorized
as affordable anymore. Hence, a
growing section of society is looking
for newer further locations with
comparatively lower prices.
Further, public authorities such as
the MMRDA and the civic authorities
have taken up major infrastructure
work in and around Kalyan, along with
the preparation of the development
plan for those locations. This is
attracting more investors towards the
Kalyan-Dombivli region. Developers
are looking positively at the present
and future potential of this market.
As a trend, more and more
developers are being inclined towards
sizable, but not too large, affordable
housing projects. This is creating the
right kind of supply in the peri-urban
locations (outskirts) such as Shahpur,
Badlapur, Khalapur, Khopoli, Neral,
Karjat, Boisar, Palghar, etc.
Joy Sanyal
National Director,
Strategic Development
Initiatives, JLL
No home loan strategy
should ever be based
on anticipated financial
windfalls as a means
to pay off the loan. It
should be based on
realistic factors such
as reasonable salary
hikes and maturing of
insurance policies and
investments
Practical points
for home loan
over the mid-term, and economic
indicators suggest that inflation will
continue to drive up costs.
Given that it is the right time to
avail of a home loan and purchase
a property in Pune, one still needs to
consider the financial implications.
As a thumb rule, an individual’s home
loan EMI should not exceed a rational
percentage of his or her net monthly
disposable income. Generally, EMIs
can amount to 50 per cent of monthly
income.
Legal obligation
However, home loans are not
the only cause of debt in the
contemporary context. People take
out personal loans and have pre-
existing debts, too. In other words,
even a ‘fair’ EMI percentage could
prove unaffordable. The ‘ideal’ EMI
component can only be calculated
vis-à-vis a debt-free person’s salary.
This would be between Rs 1,000-
1,200 per lakh.
People availing of home loans
sometimes forget that they are under
legal obligation to repay. There are
numerous cases where borrowers
have neglected to undertake a due
diligence with regards to their financial
capabilities and the suitability of the
loan of which they have availed.
As a result, they find themselves in
debt traps and sometimes default on
their repayments. Borrowers should
stretch themselves only to the extent
that they realistically foresee their
financial position improving in a given
time frame.
Realistic factors
No home loan strategy should ever
be based on anticipated financial
windfalls as a means to pay off the
loan. It should be based on realistic
factors such as reasonable salary
hikes and maturing of insurance
policies and investments.
If one anticipates a salary hike,
even if this amounts to only a certain
annual increase, one can consider
a ‘step-up’ option for the existing
home loan. Here, the borrower
pays a lower EMI initially and steps
up the repayment of the home
loan in proportion to the assumed
percentage increase in income.
Because of the on-going economic
uncertainties, many aspiring home
owners in Pune are still hesitant
about taking a home loan and buying
a residence. One of the questions
that people who seek to make this
beautiful city their permanent home is
whether it makes more sense to rent
now and await a price correction.
For those who are thinking of
renting a home in Pune, there are
many aspects to consider. In the
first place, the affordability of both
rental and purchased property is
highly location and project specific.
To illustrate – someone in Pune who
can afford to buy a home in Undri may
not even be able to afford the rentals
at Boat Club Road, Koregaon Park or
Kalyani Nagar.
Secondly, whether it makes more
sense to rent rather than buy a
property would also depend on one’s
future plans in a particular locality.
Does one wish to settle down there,
or is one also open to other areas? It
definitely makes sense to rent a home
while one is making up one’s mind
about a particular locality.
Competitive prices
If an individual is certain of a
locality in Pune and is committed to
settling down there, the right time to
buy a home is now. There are many
projects available in the excellent new
residential areas that have come up in
Pune, and prices are still competitive.
There will not be a correction in real
estate prices in Pune, as demand for
a movement of residential properties
in the city is healthy.
The watch-and-wait policy is only
valid if there are informed reasons for
anticipating a correction in a certain
locality. On the whole, property rates
in Pune will either remain stable or
appreciate, depending on the area.
Also, there are no prospects of
home loan interest rates rationalizing

11. March 10-16, 2014 11
Tools like crushers,
pulverizers and grapples
are what is being sought
after today.
Source: Atlas Copco
Editor : Bina Verma
Editorial Team: Dilip Phansalkar, Paresh Parmar, Remona Divekar Designer: Rajen Mistry
Business Team: Milind Joglekar (9833357005), Shantanu Baraskar (9820904795), Seema Kohli (9820904931)
Email: contact@konstructionreview.com, editor@mmronline.com
No part of the contents of Construction Industry Review, in abridged or unabridged form,
can be reproduced without the written permission of the Editor. CIR does not accept any
responsibility for statements and opinions expressed by the authors.
Metso wins three prestigious
iF design awards
Hydraulic attachment tool makers
join CECE
bauma Africa renamed
Bauma Conexpo Africa
JCB India opens integrated facility in Bhopal
Grove GMK6300L
– the only crane for job
at New Zealand hospitalCECE, the European Construction
E q u i p m e n t C o m m i t t e e , h a s
broadened its portfolio. The recently
established new product group
‘hydraulic attachment tools’ serves
as a communication and information
platform for companies operating in
this field of business.
ThecompaniesactiveincludeArden
Equipment, Atlas Copco, Caterpillar,
FRD, Indeco, Montabert, NPK, Okada,
Sandvik, Simex, Socomec, Soosan,
Tabe, Toku and VTN.
The product group is chaired by
Torsten Ahr, who is Vice President
Marketing at Atlas Copco Construction
Tools. Ahr is convinced, “Especially
the sub-segment of what we refer
to as silent demolition tools will see
a steady upturn over the next years
as the industry turns towards more
efficient solutions in demolition and
recycling.”
The era of the sledgehammer and
the wrecking ball is over in many parts
of the world. Instead, sophisticated
tools like crushers, pulverizers,
grapples, and scrap shears are what
is being sought after today.
The product group serves as a
platform to discuss EU-legislation
matters relevant to the section such
The first event was held under
the name of bauma Africa, and it
celebrated a successful premiere
with 754 exhibitors from 38 countries
and 14,700 visitors from over 100
countries. As part of their cooperation
on international construction
machinery events, Messe München
and AEM announced at bauma in
2013 their intention to set up a joint
venture in Africa.
Leading construction equipment
maker JCB India Ltd announced the
opening of its integrated facility in
Bhopal.
The facility has six bays and is
spread across an area of 29,000
sq ft, the company’s MD & CEO
Vipin Sondhi said. The facility has
as the outdoor noise directive and
to share information about market
developments.
Statistics on hydraulic breakers
and demolition tools are another core
service. CECE is the only supplier of
worldwide data of this kind.
“We are happy to supply such
a unique tool to our manufacturers
helping them to better understand their
market situation and their competitive
environment,” added Torsten Ahr.
One of the crucial future topics
will be to address the problem of
hydraulic breakers that are coming
This joint venture will be organizing
the upcoming trade show as Bauma
Conexpo Africa. The event will retain
the current successful exhibition team
and its CEO Elaine Crewe.
Eugen Egetenmeir, Managing
Director of Messe München, explains,
“Both partners have agreed on the
new event name of Bauma Conexpo
Africa. This new, joint name reflects
the close and trusting cooperation
to the European market but do not
comply with the European safety and
environmental legislation.
The scope of products in this
section of CECE includes hydraulically
driven machines that are mounted
to construction equipment such
as excavators, backhoe loaders,
and skid-steer loaders: breakers
and demolition tools but also niche
products and highly specialized
solutions like screening buckets,
mounted plate compactors or rotary
drum cutters.
between Messe München and
AEM.”
Dennis Slater, President of
AEM, comments, “Africa offers
tremendous opportunities for North
American companies in particular.
We are pleased to be supporting our
members as they enter or expand in
this market.”
The next edition of the international
trade fair for construction machinery,
building material machines, mining
machines and construction vehicles
will be held from September 15 and
18, 2015, in Johannesburg. The event
venue will be announced soon.
business felt its 300 t crane was the
best and only choice to complete the
job and limit disruption, as Wayne
Slater explains.
“Placing a few 500 kg objects
on the roof of a six-story building
doesn’t sound hard, but add the
variables of a hospital, 10 hours
and limited space, and suddenly
you’re in a world of trouble,” he says.
“But we confidently knew what the
GMK6300L is capable of. We got set
up in no time, made our lifts without
a hitch and finished well within the
time-frame.”
The GMK6300L was set up at the
hospital in just 90 minutes. It was
configured with 92.5 t of
counterweight and a 21 m luffing
jib extension, taking its reach to
101 m.
The equipment lifted onto
the hospital’s roof included air-
conditioning units and components
to construct a cell phone antenna.
The maximum load was 0.5 t. Once
complete, the crane was de-rigged
for travel in another 90 minutes.
Metso’s mobile crushing plant,
biomass moisture analyzer and
scrap shear and shredder concept
have received prestigious iF design
2014 awards. The jury in one of
the world’s top product design
competitions recognized Metso’s
products for their design quality,
degree of innovation, environmental
impact, functionality, safety and
branding, among others.
This year’s iF design competition
had over 3,200 entries in 17
categories to showcase outstanding
achievements in product design. The
awards were presented in Munich,
Germany, on February 28, 2014.
In Metso, customer expectations
and wishes guide product concept
development process. The goal is
to always provide the best possible
user experience. Well-designed
equipment provides product users
with significant benefits.
Ultimately, product design helps
fulfil the customers’ needs, makes
their jobs easier and sets new
standards in environmental efficiency.
For Metso, industrial design is a
synonym for high performance,
productivity, safety, usability and
competitiveness.
The Metso Lokotrack LT106
mobile crushing plant is designed for
crushing of hard rock and recycled
materials for various purposes
such as infrastructure construction.
The design sets it apart from the
competitors not just by its look, but
also by the usability, serviceability
and safer working environment it
offers.
During the past 30 years, more
than 6,000 track-mounted Lokotrack
units have been delivered to sites
around the world. Lokotrack was
also one of the award winners in
the Fennia Prize design competition
this year.
The Metso MR Moisture biomass
moisture analyzer is the first industrial
moisture measurement application
utilizing the magnetic resonance
phenomenon. The design features
competitive and easy-to-use fuel
moisture measuring equipment
coupled with a user interface that can
be used in multiple surroundings.
Metso’s EtaCut II scrap shear for
crushing heavy mixed and demolition
scrap, and the EtaShred ZZ shredder
are both based on a globally
applicable operating concept and
product structure offering increased
processing flexibility and low specific
power consumption.
EQUIPMENT
The concept, which features a re-
engineered design and an innovative
control interface, was developed
together with the German Institute
for Integrated Design.
With a 60-year history, the iF
design award is regarded as one of
the most important product design
competitions worldwide. The award
mirrors both current trends in design
and the economic benefits delivered
by well-designed products.
been built as per the JCB Corporate
Identity norms and is equipped with
standardized systems to provide
a one-stop solution for customers,
said Sondhi.
The facility is integrated with all
modern tools and fabrication facility
proving all necessary repairs under
T h e G r o v e G M K 6 3 0 0 L ’ s
manoeuvrability came into its own
at the job site. Despite its massive
capacity, the crane’s all-wheel
steering gives it a minimal turning
radius, which allowed the team to
position it with ease in its precise
location.
Following the success of the
job, the hospital owner, Bay of
Plenty District Health Board, has
made a dedicated crane pad for the
GMK6300L, making it easier for it to
return and complete other jobs at
the hospital.
Grove’s GMK6300L all-terrain
crane is one of its most successful
and popular cranes. Since it was
first introduced in 2010, more than
120 units are now at work across
the globe.
Established in 1965, Pollock
& Sons Crane Hire is one of New
Zealand’s leading lifting specialists.
The company operates a 15-strong
fleet of mobile and tower cranes,
which it provides to projects across
the North Island.
Grove GMK 6300L
one single roof, he said.
The JCB has a large presence in
Madhya Pradesh, he said, adding that
apart from Bhopal it has branches in
the state at many places including
Hoshangabad, Raisen, Sehore,
Rajgarh, Sagar and Guna.

12. March 10-16, 2014 12
Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No. MAHENG/2012/41844
Posted at Mumbai Patrika Channel Sorting Office, Mumbai - 400001, on Monday
Published on Monday, March 10, 2014
Regd. No. MH/MR/South-355/2012-14
News
Steel – sound choice for
construction
Printed & published by Bina Verma on behalf of Asian Industry & Information Services Pvt. Ltd., and printed at Amruta Print Arts, 205, Tantia Industrial Estate, J. R. Boricha Marg, Opp. Kastruba Hospital, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400 011
and published at 1st Floor, Feltham House, 10, J. N. Heredia Marg, Ballard Estate, Mumbai 400 001. Tel.: 022-2266 0623. Editor: Bina Verma Annual Subscription : Rs. 5,000/-
for Professionals on Structural Steel
Design & Construction during 2009-
10 and 2010-2011, which is organized
by INSDAG.
The technical sessions would
cover topics like usage of steel in
bridges & flyover, high-rise buildings
and affordable housing, managing
steel-based construction, role of
service centre, Green steel, innovation
with steel applications and software,
technology innovation -- steel in
advanced countries and protection
system and critical analysis of specific
structures
The seminar aims to create
awareness amongst potential
consumers about the applications
and benefits of usage of steel in
construction and infrastructure and
to disseminate knowledge about new
applications of steel in construction
and infrastructure sector amongst the
user sector.
Steel intensity in India in sectors
like construction and infrastructure
is very low compared to the rest of
the world. There is a huge potential
for increasing the steel intensity in
India from the present level of 60 kg
per capita, as compared to the world
average of 208 kg.
It is in this context, Ficci and
INSDAG are jointly organizing a
seminar on ‘Steel – Preferred choice
of material for construction’ from
March 14 to 15, 2014 in Mumbai.
Ficci is the largest and oldest
apex business organization in India.
Its history is closely interwoven with
India’s struggle for independence
and its subsequent emergence as
one of the most rapidly growing
economies globally. The Institute
for Steel Development & Growth
(INSDAG) is a member-based
organization established by the
Ministry of Steel and the major steel
producers of the country.
The seminar aims to showcase
the versatility of steel as a preferred
structural material for construction.
It also intends to disseminate
knowledge about applications of
steel and developments & design,
construction methodology pertaining
to steel.
The sessions would cover the
usage of steel in bridges and flyovers,
high-rise buildings, commercial
complexes, airports, metro, stadiums,
space frames.
Experts in the field of construction
and structural engineering will
make presentations and share their
experiences. This event is a platform
where innovation, ideas, creativity will
converge to revalidate preference of
steel as a material, and where present
will meet the future.
The captains of the industry will be
present to share their views.
The seminar will have distribution
of awards under National Competition
EVENTS
March 13-15, 2014
Concrete Show – 2014
Concrete Material & Machinery, Mumbai
Contact: UBM India, Unit No. 1&2, B-Wing 5th floor,
Times Square, Andheri-Kurla Rd, Marol,
Andheri (E), Mumbai - 59.
Phone: +91-22-61727272
Fax: +91-22-61727273
info.india@ubm.com
www.ubmindia.in
March 20-22, 2014
International Elevator & Escalator Expo
Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre, Mumbai
The event provides an exclusive platform to get an insight into the market, trends and
technologies that drive the elevator and escalator industry. The forum, apart from fostering
thought leading insights from the stalwarts of the industry, also dwells extensively on
leading edge technological advancements to the most contemporary design trends, safety
standards, environment compliance codes and regulations.
Contact: Virgo Communications & Exhibitions Pvt Ltd
Virgo House, 250 Amarjyoti Layout,
Domlur Extension, Bengaluru
Tel: +(91)-(80)-25357028/41493996/41493997
Fax: +(91)-(80)-25357028
Contact person : G. Raghu
Mob: +91-9845095803
May 22-24, 2014
Metal Buildings & Steel Structures Expo
Bombay Convention Centre, Mumbai
MBSS Expo is an initiative designed to promote the use of steel and allied metals in
construction to showcase the latest products and innovations in the industry. The event also
proves to be an ideal platform for exploring new business opportunities and for dissemination
of knowledge in the quest to deliver world class technology/services.
Contact: INIS Enterprises Pvt Ltd, 116 Atlanta Estate,
VItth Bhatti, Goregaon East, Mumbai
April 19, 2014
18th One-day Workshop on Jirnoddhara of RCC Buildings
The Institution of Engineers (India), Mahalaxmi, Mumbai
The workshop contains structural audit, upgrading (housekeeping, regular maintenance,
repairs, rehabilitation, fixing leakage, waterproofing of RCC buildings and a new concept
to construct durable RCC structures without leakage
Contact: Jayakumar Jivraj Shah
Tel: 28483541
Mobile: 9819242649
May15-17, 2014
Ecobuild India
To be decided soon
It is the largest exhibition of the sector that concentrates on the future of sustainable building
design, construction and built environment. It plays an important role in the development
and advancement of the sector and helps the exhibitors to showcase their products and
services associated with the sector.
Contact: UBM India Pvt Ltd. Times Square, B- Wing,
Unit 1 & 2,5th Flr, Marol, Andheri Kurla Road,
Andheri East. Mumbai
May 16-18, 2014
Roof India 2014
Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai
The exhibitors will showcase roofing systems, architectural cladding, facade engineering,
roof waterproofing, pre-engineered buildings, space frames and more.
Contact: International Trade & Exhibitions India Pvt Ltd
1106-1107, Kailash Building,
Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi
July 11-13, 2014
India International Build Expo Chennai
Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai,
This event helps the professionals and experts of the industry to come together under the
same roof and experience an ideal platform to network and interact with each other.
Contact: Prompt Trade fairs (India) Pvt Ltd,
621, 3rd Floor, SIRE Mansion Thousand Lights, Chennai
September 11-13, 2014
The Big 5 Construct India
Bombay Convention Centre, Mumbai
It will provide the ideal platform for influential architects, contractors, consultants and
engineers to share ideas about innovative construction tools and services.
Contact: DMG: Events. PO Box No 33817
Dubai, UAE
December 4-6, 2014
Ceramics Asia
Gujarat University Exhibition Hall, Ahmedabad
This event will be organized to enhance that potential by bringing industry professionals
from different corners of the world under one roof. Ceramics Asia is going to be organized
for three days at the Gujarat University Exhibition Center in Ahmedabad
Contact: Unifair Exhibition Service Co. Ltd,
Room 802-804, Daxin Building,
538 Dezheng North Road Guangzhou, China
December 15-18, 2014
bC India Show
India Expo Centre and Mart, Greater Noida
The International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Mining
Machines and Construction Vehicles-provides the international construction industry with
a professional platform for the construction industry.
Contact: B C Expo India Pvt Ltd,
Lalani Aura, 5th Floor, 34th Road,
Khar (West), Mumbai