The Hindu : Architects, engineers should use IT: Dattatreya

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 29, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Architects, engineers should use IT: Dattatreya

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore Nov. 28. The Union Minister of State for Urban Development, Bandaru Dattatreya, has called for a close working relationship between the IT industry and the building construction sector.

Mr. Dattatreya was inaugurating a two-day seminar on "Information technology in built environment" organised by the Indian Buildings Congress and the Karnataka Public Works Department along with the Engineer-in-Chief's Branch, Army Headquarters, New Delhi, at the MEG and Centre, here today.

He said young students of architecture and engineering should be IT-enabled to apply IT to building projects.

Mr. Dattatreya said that although the IT sector had grown enormously, the application of the technology in the building construction industry had not shown any improvement. It could be due to the highly fragmented working of the construction industry.

It was, therefore, necessary to plan, design, and maintain buildings using IT applications, he added.

He said the IBC had been playing a major role in promoting and encouraging the construction industry, and called upon it to popularise the use of IT in the sector.

The Minister for Public Works, N. Dharam Singh, emphasised the need for utilising IT in the construction industry.

The Principal Secretary, PWD, K.L. Negi, said: "Interaction between architects, engineers, contractors, financiers, suppliers, and others involves large-scale exchange of data, which could be made more efficient by using IT." Preparation of base maps, for example, using the latest software of the Geographical Information System, would only take a few days compared with months or years now.

Mr. Nagi said: "Currently, IT is not being used to its full potential in construction. The seminar aims at enhancing its application so that construction work can be monitored properly and altered quickly if necessary."

The IBC was founded in 1992 with the mission of ushering in a built environment that is conducive to aesthetics, cost competitive, and technology driven. It acts as an interface between construction companies and the Union Government, and has 60 institutional members, including the State Government, and over 2,000 individual members.

The IBC President, Lt. Gen. Hari Uniyal, who is also the Engineer-in-Chief, Army Headquarters, thanked the PWD for hosting the seminar.

G.W. Rasquina, Engineer-in-Chief, PWD, and O.P. Goel, IBC Founder President, IBC, were present.

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