Six cities selected for pilot project

In a major fillip to the housing sector, the government has selected six cities across the country for a pilot project under which 1,000 houses will be built using innovative technologies that are low-cost, sustainable and disaster-resistant, informed Secretary - HUA, Durga Shanker Mishra at the recently held Construction Technology India - 2019 (CTI-2019) Expo-cum-conference. The cities include Rajkot (Gujarat), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Indore (MP), Chennai (TN), Agartala (Tripura) and Lucknow (UP). The locations will serve as live laboratories for light house projects wherein 54 Proven Technology Providers with 32 new technologies from 25 countries were evaluated by the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) at the exposition for adoption of their technology. Over the recent launch of the third edition of the Vulnerability Atlas of India the government will write to all States to use its assessment before beginning construction activities in their cities. The Vulnerability Atlas of India is a collation of the existing hazard scenario of the entire country. The CTI-2019 saw participation of about 2,500 delegates from 32 countries; four plenary sessions, six technical sessions, including a World Cafe, and three master classes. Topics discussed at the sessions included reforms to bring in urban renaissance with an integrated approach to address urban challenges, skills and human resources in construction sector, enabling the eco-system for new construction technologies and innovations in the construction equipment manufacturing sector. The conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister, who declared 'April 2019-March 2020' as Construction-Technology year, and stressed the need of advanced technology to meet the increasing demand for housing in the country prompted by rapid urbanization.