National President of Association of Consulting Civil Engineers inaugurates RACE-23 seminar

Mysore/Mysuru: A two-day National Seminar on ‘Innovative Infra in Civil Engineering’ began at Mysore Builders’ Charitable Trust (MBCT) Auditorium on Akkamahadevi Road, Vishweshwaranagar in city this morning.

The event is being organised by the Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (ACCE – India), Mysore Centre as part of Recent Advances in Civil Engineering-23 (RACE-23). Over 350 delegates including members of ACCE – India who have come from across the country, 200 engineers, 150 post-graduate and undergraduate civil engineers, Government engineers and technical experts are attending the seminar.

Various technical sessions are being held as part of the seminar and well-known speakers who have made a mark in the national and international engineering scenario are delivering talks on wide-ranging subjects that are making an impact in civil engineering and construction sectors. An exhibition has also been organised at the venue where over 10 stalls are exhibiting the latest engineering technologies.

The event was inaugurated by ACCE – India National President Vijayakumar Kisan Sanap, who also released the technical volume which has insightful papers from all the Speakers of the technical sessions. In his address, Vijayakumar said that the Mysore ACCE Centre was one of the most active centres in India on par with centres in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Nagpur. “You have rightly organised RACE-23, latching on to the trend early,” he said.

Mentioning that the infrastructure in India has seen a boom since the last eight years, Vijayakumar said that the responsibility of engineers was in focus now. “With great infrastructure works, there is a greater responsibility on engineers to make the infrastructure align with the economy and make it sustainable. This is where innovation comes into play. I am glad to see many students in the gathering as they are our future,” he said.

Innovation and engineering community

In his introductory remarks, RACE-23 Chairman Dr. G.P. Chandradhara said that the seminar has been organised with the goal of exposing the engineering community to innovations and breakthroughs in civil engineering — engineering the future, exploring innovations and collaborating for a better tomorrow.

 “Civil engineers always hunt for novel construction materials. New innovations in civil engineering emerge over time to improve project quality, effectiveness, durability and sustainability. Eminent speakers, having extensive experience in analysis, design, and construction will demonstrate at RACE-23 the significance of technological innovation in buildings and structures,” he noted.

 Today, the emphasis is on sustainability, which means that resources for the present must be preserved for future generations. Civil engineering plays an important role in this regard,  he added.

 Geophysical investigations crucial

 In his technical presentation on ‘Application of Geophysical Techniques in Civil Engineering Projects’, Dr. Sanjay Rana, Managing Director, Parsan Overseas Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi said that modern major construction is inconceivable without high-level engineering explorations which play a major role in increasing the economic efficiency of capital investments.

 An alumnus of IIT – Roorkee, Dr. Sanjay has carried out geophysical investigations for more than 2,000 projects in India and many countries. “For the design of structures, it is indispensable to procure comprehensive high-quality information about the subsurface, within short periods. The study of diverse natural conditions predetermines a variety of methods and technical means which can be used for carrying out exploratory work,” he noted.

 Any major construction work calls for a well-considered approach in view of the restricted time frame and finance. In planning and development of the project, adequate knowledge of the geotechnical conditions at site is important, he said and added that engineering geophysics is an efficient means of subsurface investigation.

 The state-of-the-art subsurface geophysical investigations are helpful towards minimising involvement of the conventional direct exploration methods, aiding in accelerated and economic development of the construction projects, he said.

 ACCE (India), Mysore Centre Chairman H.S. Deepak, Hon. Secretary S. Shashiraj, RACE-23 Hon. Secretary Dr. P. Nanjundaswamy and others were present.