Shortage of qualified masons continues to be a major roadblock for the construction industry.
Already hit by slowdown and rising cost of construction materials, the industry is struggling to overcome this more basic and skilled problem.
“Today, there is a shortage of at least two lakh qualified masons. The projected demand in the next few years runs into millions,” said Manamohan Kalgal, UltraTech’s Country Head (Technical Services).
The Aditya Birla Group company is doing its bit to overcome the industry’s problem.
Its technical services division, which currently trains 13,000 masons annually, is planning to expand this service to accommodate at least 25,000 soon.
Online consultancy
Customers of Ultratech Cement will also soon be able to get technical assistance and request for on-site consultancy for house building.
The division, which provides consultancy services to its customers, is planning to expand this infrastructure and go online to reach more customers, including in smaller towns and villages. Kalgal said as the first step the firm was expanding its existing call centre to go pan-India. “It will soon have a comprehensive data bank and provide consultancy on the phone. Later, it will become a full-fledged online platform,” he told Business Line here.
The division has about 150 mobile vehicles armed with testing equipment that make daily three to four visits each to construction sites, advising developers and house builders on the right type of mix and other concreting information. “We are adding 25-30 vehicles this year,” he said.
White topping
The company is also demonstrating its white topping technology, involving adding a six-inch concrete layer to the existing bitumen roads in different States.
“The cost of white topping is Rs 1,400 per sq km and need no repairs for 25 years, while bitumen roads need a repair cost of about Rs 1,100 per sq km every five years, even as per the Indian Road Congress standards,” he said.