The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : IRC told to expand its role

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Tuesday, Apr 28, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

IRC told to expand its role

Staff Reporter

PHOTO: S.R. Raghunathan

The road ahead: (From left) Tamil Nadu Highways Secretary K. Allaudin, NHAI Chairman Brijeshwar Singh, Union Road Transport and Highways Secretary Brahm Dutt and ING - IABSE Chairman G. Sharan at a seminar on ‘Retaining Structures’ . —

CHENNAI: The Indian Roads Congress can expand its role as a professional agency guiding academics and civil engineers on matters concerning road development, said Secretary of the State Highways Department K.Allaudin.

Speaking at a seminar on “Retaining Structures” recently, he said that “like the Medical Council of India, the IRC too can increase its role in providing professional services to the road development sector.”

Union Road Transport and Highways Secretary Brahm Dutt inaugurated the seminar and emphasised the importance of maintaining mass rapid transit system structures, as the system helped reduce traffic on roads. “A lot of underground tunnels will now have to be dug for various highway projects and these need proper maintenance,” he said.

National Highways Authority of India chairman Brijeshwar Singh said engineers should be looking at integrating highway structures with the natural landscape as is being done in other countries. “Engineering structures such as the Howrah Bridge remains popular. However, post-Independence there have been very few such structures that could have an impact on the public,” he said.

Mr.Dutt also released copies of a souvenir on highway and road transport projects. Organised by the Indian National Group of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, the seminar focussed on technical aspects of improving road and bridge projects.

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