Technology Dissemination from Lab to Shelter Requires Land !
AVM C S Doraiswami and V Sriraman

In Bangalore, we are faced with a paradoxical situation.  The long strides taken in R&D work for the Shelter Group building technology areas is not being disseminated in the southern region due to non-availability of our own land in Bangalore rural district to houses building centre.  We are unable to obtain grants (which are readily available to us through institutions like HUDCO, SDC, IUCN etc) to construct our technology building centre as the aforesaid institutions will only disburse grants if we do own land here. 

Building centres, a brain child of HUDCO, play a key role in disseminating building materials technology - especially appropriate technologies in a region.  It is a powerful mechanism for technology delivery and this is attributed to the fact that it contemplates several basic and needy functions which determine effectiveness and reach of a technology.  These are :

At the moment Development Alternatives Building Centres, ‘TARA Nirman Kendras’ are established on two locations –  New Delhi and Orchha. 

This is not the end of it.  In due course of time, sooner rather than later, building  centres both urban and rural will be set up in South India too.

South India, in general has a tremendous potential for spread of cost effective, appropriate, environmental friendly building materials and technologies. Many regions of South have soil type which is favourable to promotion of compressed earth block technology.  Mangalore pattern roofing tiles production is saturated, has become expensive, and is energy intensive which is aggravated by depleted clay resources and rising fuel costs.

Though Development Alternatives, Bangalore does not have a formal building centre, with a committed core team of shelter professionals DA is actively involved in several building centre functions.

A number of buildings which stand out ‘for quality’ have been constructed by Development Alternatives, Bangalore.  Training programmes have also been conducted, at field level.  But, we have now started conducting training at ‘DATE’, acronym for Development Alternatives centre for Training and Entrepreneurship located at Devanahalli, Bangalore Rural District.  Design support and technological consultancies, building material surveys etc are being undertaken by the “informal” TARA Nirman Kendra, Bangalore.

Application for allotment of land  in rural Bangalore was first initiated in 1989.  Initially, some land was offered in Kanakapura district which was subsequently cancelled.  A fresh proposal was put up in 1995 which is now being actively pursued, with the Government of Karnataka.  We have asked for 3-5 acres of land in rural Bangalore. 

The Environment Systems Branch has been pursuing major programmes in Chiknayakanhalli taluka of Tumkur district.  It is also imparting training in sustainable agriculture and vermiculture towards empowerment of the rural people.  We need land there too to establish a training and resource centre.  Development Alternatives has succeeded in purchasing a 3 acre plot of land in April 1997 at Chiknayakanhalli – a step towards taking environment technologies from laboratory to land and people.

A formal building centre enjoys the benefit of loan and grants from HUDCO.  All the functions are to be carried out in a centralised manner in the building centre.  DA, Bangalore is now vigorously pursuing allotment of “Land” (in or around Bangalore) to meet the stipulation by HUDCO.   q

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