The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Building corporations seek regulatory body

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 21, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Building corporations seek regulatory body

Staff Reporter

"It will help to reassure mega-project operators" They appeal to the governments to complete land acquisition before commencement of the projects

HANDS OF FRIENDSHIP: Transport Minister K.N. Nehru being welcomed by Ng Chin Meng, Head, IJM Projects in India, at Infratech 2006 at IIT-Madras on Saturday. — PHOTO: SHAJU JOHN

CHENNAI: Building corporations involved in mega-projects such as highways and flyover construction have urged the Central Government to set up a regulatory authority on the lines of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

At the valedictory function of a three-day seminar on "Surface Transportation - emerging opportunities and technology" organised by the All India Manufacturers Organisation at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras campus on Saturday, the organisers listed out recommendations made by panelists. M.S.Srinivasan, Advisor to TNUDF, said operators who took up mega-projects on a `build, own and transfer' basis would feel reassured if there was a regulatory body to redress their problems.

Speakers from leading construction firms of the likes of Larsen and Toubro India, Gammon India and IJM India appealed to the Government to complete land acquisition prior to financial closure of the projects. Ng Chin Meng, executive director of IJM India Limited, said private companies stood to loose huge sums due to unforeseen delays in projects. "Sometimes a land acquisition dispute over a 400-metre stretch could stall a 400 km highway project. This could lead to losses of several crore of rupees to the executing private company," he said.

The participants also called for recycling of bituminous layers. They said there was no other option left with depletion of natural resources and the increasing cost of construction materials.

S.A.Reddi, advisor, Gammon India Limited, also raised the concern over the declining number of civil engineers passing out of engineering colleges. The Highways Department Chief Engineer read out the message of State Highways Minister M.P.Saminathan, who was slated to attend the meeting but could not because of a departmental meeting.

The Infratech 2006 chairman K.E.Ragunaathan and vice-chairman Sringasehwar spoke.

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