Says these Projects will showcase best forms of technology for urban housing needs
Our Correspondent / NEW DELHI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone of Light House projects (LHPs) under Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC)- at six sites across six States, today through video conference.
He announced the winners under Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators – India (ASHA-India) and gave away annual awards for excellence in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) Mission. He also released a certification course on innovative construction technologies named NAVARITIH (New, Affordable, Validated, Research Innovation Technologies for Indian Housing). Union Minister Mr Hardeep Singh Puri, Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said today is the day to move forward with new energy, to prove new resolutions and today the country is getting new technology to build houses for the poor, middle class. He said the houses are called light house projects in technical language but these 6 projects are really like lighthouses showing a new direction to the housing sector in the country.
The Prime Minister cited these light house projects as an example of the approach of the present Government. He said at one time housing schemes were not as much as the priority of the central government and did not go into the nuances and quality of home construction. Today, the country has chosen a different approach, adopting a different route and a better technology, to complete the projects faster. He stressed on the importance for the Government ministries not to have large and sluggish structures, but to be fit like startups. He expressed happiness on the active participation of more than 50 Innovative Construction Companies from around the world. He said this global challenge has given us a scope to innovate and incubate with new technology.
The Prime Minister said in the next phase of the same process, the work of 6 light house projects at different sites is starting from today. These light house projects will be made up of modern technology and innovative processes and reduce the construction time and make a more resilient, affordable and comfortable house for the poor. He further explained that these light houses have innovations in construction technology. For example the project in Indore will not have brick and mortar walls, instead they will use the prefabricated Sandwich Panel system. The light houses in Rajkot will be built using french technology and have monolithic concrete construction technology using tunnel and the house will be more capable of withstanding disasters. In Chennai, US and Finland technologies will use the Precast Concrete system, which will construct the house faster and cheaper. In Ranchi houses will be built using Germany’s 3D construction system. Each room will be made separately and then the entire structure will be added in the same way as Lego Blocks toys. He said Houses are being built in Agartala with the steel frames using New Zealand’s technology which can withstand major earthquake risk. Canada’s technology is being used in Lucknow, which will not require plaster and paint and will use the entire walls already prepared to build houses faster. He further said that thousands of houses will be built in 12 months at every location which will act as incubation centers through which our planners, architects, engineers and students will be able to learn and experiment with new technology. He announced that along with this, a certificate course will be started to upgrade the skills related to new technology to the people in the construction sector, so that the people can get the best technology and material in the world in house construction.
The Prime Minister informed that in Ranchi, 3D construction systems from Germany are being used, whereas steel frame technology from New Zealand is being used in Agartala. He informed that in Lucknow, construction technology from Canada is being used. Mr. Modi said that these projects will prove to be like incubation centres for our planners, engineers, architects and students where they will be able to experiment with the new technology. He added that the government has introduced the ASHA India project to promote research and innovation in the construction sector. He said, this will pave the way to develop new and inexpensive technology to build houses in the 21st century. Prime Minister said, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, lakhs of houses have been built in a very short span of time and construction of many more is still going on. He said, the reforms done in the past years, in the construction sector has helped improve India’s ranking in terms of construction permits from 185 to 27. He informed that the online system for construction-related permits has been expanded to more than 2 thousand cities in the country. Mr. Modi said, investment in infrastructure, construction and housing sector has a force multiplier effect in the economy.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi had tweeted that on the first day of 2021 he will be taking part in a programme aimed at transforming India’s urban landscape. Under the project, Agartala, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot, Chennai and Ranchi will get more than 1,000 houses for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). The period of construction is maximum 12 months from the date these sites are handed over to the construction agency after all statutory approvals.
Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, and Chief ministers of Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, respectively, also addressed the gathering.