The recently held ICEMA conference on highway equipment discusses the need for efficient technologies, quality and skill upgradation in roads and highways construction.

The Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers? Association (ICEMA) and the Indian Academy of Highway Engineers (IAHE) jointly organised National Conference on Highway Equipment on July 9-10, 2015, with the support of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways in New Delhi. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, was the chief guest at the conference. The conference was attended by a number of roads and highways contractors, senior government officials and leading personalities from the industry. SN Das, DG (RD) & SS, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and Dinesh Sharma, Joint Director, Indian Academy of Highway Engineers, also marked their presence in the conference. The conference themed around ?Progress through Performance? and was focused to give direction on technology to build world class roads in India.

Highway Equipment Development Council
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways is moving ahead with its plan of setting up a Highway Equipment Development Council that will help develop new technologies and equipment to bring down the cost of construction and improving the quality of road infrastructure, said Gadkari while inaugurating the conference. In line with the ambitious campaign of ?Make in India?, Gadkari emphasised on the importance of manufacturing road construction equipment in India that will help bring down the infrastructure cost. Comprising technocrats from the government and private sector, the Council would suggest what technologies could be used and suggest possibilities for joint ventures with foreign partners. ?Equipment should be manufactured in India so that the cost of construction can be reduced and the vision of ?Make in India? can also be fulfilled. Joint ventures can also be taken up with the foreign partners wherever feasible,? Gadkari said during the inaugural session of the event.

The idea of a Highway Equipment Development Council was put forward by ICEMA with a view of bringing state-of-the-art technology into India. ?We had proposed this (highway equipment council) to the ministry, so that state-of-the-art technology can be brought to India and the possibility of modification can be explored. The setting up of the Council will not only give a fillip to the construction sector but also the manufacturers, who will come forward to have joint ventures to bring latest technology to India,? said Gossain.

According to Gadkari, for one year, the road and shipping sectors have started looking up and the government has already awarded projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore. He added, ?Further, we have planned to award road projects worth Rs 5 lakh crore and Rs 1 lakh crore in shipping sector in the next five years.? According to him, this will generate employment to at least 50 lakh youth.

The minister also said that the inland waterways should be developed to reduce the cost of transportation which is about one fifth of the cost as compared to other modes of transportation. According to him, the government is working towards a Rs 22,000-crore project which would provide connectivity between India and Sri Lanka for which the Asian Development Bank has expressed willingness to provide funding.

Gadkari noted that the ministry?s target is to expedite the construction of national highways in India. He emphasisedupon innovation, entrepreneurship and technology in order to develop modern infrastructure. The minister also said that the use of bio-diesel, ethanol and bio-gas should be promoted in transportation sector so as to reduce the harmful effects on the environment. He also called upon the industrialists to impart skill development training to the local youth in their regions so that the local population can also participate in the socio-economic development of that area.

Geared up
According to Amit Gossain, the outgoing President of ICEMA, and Executive Vice President, JCB India, the construction and earthmoving equipment industry is ready with the technology and the capacity which is required to build high quality roads and highways.

He said, ?The government, through a series of initiatives, is working on policies and reforms to kick start growth. As an industry, we are fully supportive of the key reforms and technology requirements to make world class infrastructure, particularly roads, which is one of the most important ingredients to ensure growth of our country.?

The two-day conference covered a range of subjects from industry experts on roads and highways with inputs on efficient technology, quality and skills. On the ICEMA?s efforts to bring in the latest technologies to the infrastructure, Gossain said, ?ICEMA would continue to work closely with the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and extend its full support to ensure construction of world class infrastructure with the latest technology machines. This conference is therefore very important in setting some broad parameters and requirement in the sector.?

New President at ICEMA
The ICEMA annual general meeting held recently at New Delhi announced the appointment of Anand Sundaresan as the new President of ICEMA. It also announced the appointment of Arvind Garg as the Vice President of the association.

Sundaresan was earlier the Vice Chairman of the association and has been a member of ICEMA since 2013. He succeeds Amit Gossain, Executive Vice President Sales, Marketing and Business Development, at JCB India. Sundaresan is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Schwing Stetter and experience of over three decades in various Indian and MNCs (major engineering and construction companies) in senior positions.

Speaking on the occasion, Sundaresan said, ?ICEMA has played a key role in propelling the growth of the Indian construction equipment sector and I am delighted to be part of this association. I feel privileged and look forward to lead ICEMA as it continues to bridge the gap between the industry and the manufacturers.?

Arvind Garg, the newly appointed Vice President of ICEMA, is the Vice President and Head - Construction and Mining Machinery of L&T India since January 2002. He has over 31 years of experience in various companies.