Nitin Gadkari asks civil engineers to strive for quality construction, opt for innovation

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday called on engineers to shun the “goes by” attitude and strive for quality construction as it is linked to their work ethic.

Addressing the inaugural function of the All India Seminar on Forensic Civil Engineering organized by the Institution of Engineers in Nagpur, he also advocated pre-casting in road and building construction, and said that once the design pattern takes shape, the cost will reduce and the quality will also improve.

“There is a lot of development taking place in the field of engineering, especially civil engineering. Engineers should ensure that none of their work is of substandard standards as it is linked to their work ethics. We need to reduce the cost of production and improve the quality of construction,” he said, urging a section of engineers dealing with government civil works to eliminate the “it goes” approach.
Expressing concern over the incidents of bridge collapse, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways underlined the need for research on this aspect for preventive measures.

Recalling such incidents in Bihar, Gadkari said there should be audits to find lapses and those making “malicious” mistakes should be sacked.

He said, “There is a need to accept successful practices at world standards by government institutions and private contractors. It is very important to move towards perfection in the development of civil engineering in the future. There should be no compromise with quality and new technologies.” He asked the Institute of Engineers to give priority to pre-casting in road and building construction, saying, “Once the design pattern takes shape, the cost of construction will reduce and the quality will also improve. The accidents which keep happening will also not stop.” Speaking about innovation, he said the problem of sand procurement at many places was being tackled by crushing stones. Gadkari informed that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has approved his request to dig up soil from rivers and backwaters of the southern state and use the material for road construction.

He said that it is also beneficial for the environment.

Gadkari cited the example of Amrit Sarovar Mission, under which more than 1000 water bodies were rejuvenated by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Maharashtra.