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Role of Private Sector Enterprises in Dissemination of Sustainable
Building Materials and Construction Technologies
Mr Anand Damle
Let
me begin the topic by quoting my very first encounter with
Technology Dissemination in Brick making way back in 1985. I was
then retained by a traditional brickmaking firm - M/s Ganesh Trading
Company (GTC), Murud (Tehsil & District Latur, Maharashtra) - to
help them mechanise their production by incoprorating simple,
dependable, affordable and cost-effective machinery/systems. By
chance, on 15th July, 1985, I came across a Press Note released in
the Indian Express by ESCAP, Bangalore mentioning the development of
an Automatic Brick Moulding Machine (ABMM) with a capacity to mould
1,920 bricks per hous. The ABMM was developed by MERADO, Ludhiana
in collaboration with NBO, New Delhi. Sensing its immediate utility
for GTC, I got in touch with MERADO/CMERI authorities and requested
them to demonstrate us ABMM’s operation at Ludhiana. Although
MERADO had done a fairly good job in evolving a simple and sturdy
design appropriate to Indian conditions (the design was very similar
to UK’s Hudson Soft Mud Brickmaking Machine), it could not answer a
host of our questions regarding ABMM’s suitability to non-aluvial
clays, its cost-effectiveness on GTC’s existing manufacturing set
up, etc. These were the basic questions on which, I felt, ABMM’s
wide-spread dissemination depended. We therefore requested MERADO/CMERI
authorities and hand over the prototype ABMM to us for extensive
technology commercial trials at Murud.
Finally, in November 1985, we convinced
the authorities to sell the ABMM to GTC with State-exclusive rights
to manufacture the same in Maharashtra. Thereafter, it took us one
full season to complete the necessary changes in ABMM’s design to
make it techno-commercially viable at Murud and train our workers to
operate / maintain the ABMM properly. On August 24, 1986 we held an
All-India Demonstration of the ABMM at Murud which was very
well-attended. Subsequently, we demonstrated ABMM’s actual brick
moulding operation in CONSTRO ’87 Exhibition (an International
Exhibition of Building Materials, Machinery & Methods held at Pune
every 3 years).
As regards GTC’s High Draught Kiln (HDK)
design and construction, we had serious difficulties in buying and
implementing CBRI’s then ready-made HDK Design. We therefore got
our HDK designed from a Private Consultant - a very senion ex-CBRI
Scientist - to our specifications and sought his help in the
construction and operation of the kiln.
From the 1987-88 season, the ABMM and
HDK were pressed into regular production at Murud. Thereafter, we
had to wait for another 2 years to get sanction letters from MSFC
and State Bank of India for term and working capital loans,
respectively. In the meantime, we could manufacture and sell one
ABMM each in Maharashtra and Goa. Today, GTC is still continuing
the use of the HDK at full capacity, although ABMM is not being used
for reasons of decreased cost-effectiveness. Another simpler and
cheaper version of ABMM is now available in Manarashtra, which is
slowly gaining ground.
I hope, this example is sufficient ot
stress the need for developing and roping-in Technology Delivery
Agencies form the Private Sector, which can liaise with R & D
Insitutions / NGOs on one hand and market on the other. These
agencies can provide an all-important missing link in the chain of
Ärchitects - Civil Engineers - Building Material Manufacturers /
Suppliers - Contractors - Construction Workers”. With the advent of
market economy, ‘Government-funded’research and extension work in
the Building Materials & Constructin Sectors needs to be replaced
with ‘market-funded’ work.
It must be mentioned here that the
‘Building Centre’Model promoted by the Government sometime ago and
the recent CorporatisationPlan’ for CSIR are steps in the right
direction. The Technology Delivery Agencies should necessarily
function as independent Profit Centres and have income-generating
activities like Demonstratin, Training (Shop-floor as well as
Classroom), Testing and Engineering Services. Only then can we hope
to see the most neglected par t of our Building Materials Sector
(comprising traditional materials like burnt clay bricks / roof
tiles, dimensional stones, aggragates, lime & lime products, timber
products, etc.) and related construction techniques becoming
world-class!
q
* The
author is Managing Director, Damle Clay Structurals (P) Ltd., Pune.
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