Cement, Energy and Environment

naxal-affected districts and fi ght extremism with increased rural development. "Odisha's poverty will not go from mining. The center government believes agriculture and rural development is what will reduce poverty. In fact, mining only grounds that forest rights act had not been followed. Lanjigarh, had hit the national headlines after Congress leader visited the mineralrich tribal district twice in 2008 and 2010. Following Rahul Gandhi's first visit, the environment ministry had refused clearance for the project. The young Congress leader had exhorted tribals in Kalahandi in 2010, "For the tribals of Kalahandi, there is a soldier in Delhi named Rahul Gandhi. My work is not finished, it's begun. Whenever you need me, I am ready to stand by you." Vedanta has spent Rs. 10,000 crore for the Lanjigarh project, which includes the expansion of the 1-mt plant. The BJD-Ied Odisha government has appealed against this decision and the matters being heard by the Supreme Court. The matter comes up again on January 21. "Mining can be a boon and a curse. Some people have become very rich from mining and even come to Parliament. Unfortunately, our track record has shown that companies, whether PSU's or private ones have neither operated in an environmentally sustainable manner, or socially beneficial manner, displacing lakhs and lakhs of adivasis and not providing adequate compensation of employment," the Union Minister told tribals on Sunday. Lanjigarh was already astir on the eve of the Minister's visit. Vedanta has started cutting contract jobs upsetting a section of local population that finds indirect employment. It cannot run its refinery any longer without assured bauxite supply, the company led by Anil Agarwal said. Vedanta had set up its refinery at the foothills of the Niyamgiri hills, deep in poverty stricken Kalahandi district, drawn mainly by the bauxite deposits around, but failed to convince the tribal population , particularly the Dongria Konds, to allow mining at Niyamgiri - a hill they consider holy. The state is now hurrying up access to alternative nearby deposits. Courtesy: FIM/ News Bulletin, 1 February 2013 Sustainable Construction CONSTRUCTION SECTOR'S FUTURE IS MECHANIZATION Acute labour shortage in the construction sector is going to drive the industry to go in for large-scale mechanization and also project management, according to a report by the global project management consulting and turnkey solution company Synergy Development Services. The report, titled 'Indian Construction Sector: The Great Leap Forward' indicated that the future of the construction sector will hinge on project management, mechanization and pre-cast or prefabricated technology to meet the challenges of cost, quality and time. Labour shortage in India is pegged to increase 65% by the next decade. More workforces is moving from traditional brick-and-mortar industry, like construction and real estate, to more lucrative industries such as IT, lteS, banking and telecom. With rapid development across tier II and II cities , India will witness acute labour shortage in the coming years. It is here that project solution that will enable integrated and supervised project implementation. In 2001, about 700-800 labourers were required to construct half a million sq . feet. In 2012, it had come down to about 200 workers on the back of gradual mechanization; and by 2022 , it is expected to reduce further. As material costs are expected to double in the near future, the report notes that the Indian construction sector has no other option but to blend in global best practices. In order to survive and sustain, the sector has to go in for large-scale mechanization and outsourcing of project management services. "The last decade was very interesting. We witnessed high and low of all aspects of the construction sector, the demand supply of materials, the housing market, labour availability and geographic shifts. Overall it was a honeymoon period. The next 10 year will be a period of caution and uncertainty, with innovation and technology adoption being the guiding force. Further, rise in the cost of construction materials and inflation in management services will provide the customer the economy will remain as major concerns," said with a one-stop professionally trained and proven 40