The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Bridge research centre set for revamp

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Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Bridge research centre set for revamp

V.N. Harinath

Building of national bridge database and taking up consultancy work envisaged

HYDERABAD: The National Bridge Research and Development Centre, an establishment of the Mumbai-based Indian Institution of Bridge Engineers set up here eight years back is set for a revamp.

The only R&D centre in the country devoted to bridges, it is intended to further and promote research and development programmes in bridge engineering, to facilitate sharing of experiences and to foster innovative concepts. The revamped activities will include building up a national bridge database and taking up consultancy work in quality control and R&D projects.

Suggestions invited

M.C. Bhide, honorary chief executive officer of the centre and director-general of the institution, has invited suggestions from members and supporters so that the centre could churn out more activities it organises — training programmes, workshops, seminars, technical lectures and roundtables conferences.

He told The Hindu that recently the centre had started a scheme of ‘bridge scholars’ to enable retired professors and experts to bring out books/booklets for spreading awareness on this ‘exciting’ field. These huge structures, he says, have assumed importance in the context of the remarkable spurt in the infrastructure/construction activity raking place. Mr. Bhide stresses that bridges improve the infrastructure sector.

Quality tests

D. S. Prakash Rao, who recently retired from Osmania University and a consultant, is one such expert to join the centre as honorary director. He recalls that the centre was made a part of the committee to select contractors/consultants for five major flyovers built in the city.

The centre was asked by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to carry out quality/scrutiny tests on three flyovers after the Panjagutta flyover’s scaffolding collapsed when it was under construction.

According to Mr. Bhide, it was only after certification by the centre that authorities permitted inauguration of the flyovers. “This is a feather in the cap of NBRDC,” he says. Its activities assume importance in the context of the felt shortage of bridge engineers.

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