Kerala PWD Invites Applications from consultants for Empanelment for various projects

Kerala Public Works Department Invites Applications from Interested Firms for Empanelment for various projects(projects like traffic studies investigation,project preparation,Design&rehabilitation of roads and bridges,Architectural planning and and design,Structural Design and rehabilitation of buildings) to the period 31/03/2016.The experienced applicants can apply for more than one category.They can submit separate applications for each category.The applications with specific documents for proof and in prescribed format should reach the Chief Engineer,Roads&Bridges and Administration,public works department,public office,thiruvananthapuram-695033 before 12/03/2014.
Categories
Category I:Project Preparation for all types of highway projects including bridges up to 10m length having RCC superstructure
Category II:Project Preparation for all types of bridges/grade separators including approaches with detailed structural design and drawings
Category III:bridges inspection and rehabilitation
Category IV:Geo-technical investigation for buildings,highway,bridge projects,high embankments
Category V:traffic and transportation studies
Category VI:Architectural design and planning of buildings
Category VII:Structural design of buildings of all types.
View the Circular:http://keralapwd.gov.in/keralapwd/eknowledge/Upload/documents/2388.pdf
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Recent Failure of Roads including National Highways in Kerala

Failure of roads leads to the heavy loss of public money and discomfort to people for their movement with loss of time,money,fuel loss& working condition of various offices.In Kerala standard roads are seen rarely.The roads present may designated as”Lowways” rather than “Highways” from engineering point of view as its position is at a low-level with respect to adjacent land.Also the width of roads are seen as narrow.A road should be developed to a proper width in the initial stage itself.Once a road is a developed in a narrow width,its future development to necessary standards is seen as comedy in Kerala because of various interference from public.In the present type of construction without considering the importance of foundation and drainage is a major fault.No one is bothered about the bottom part of the road.They are working in the top portion of roads just like keeping the face smiling with darkness in mind.
In Kerala the engineering departments are trying to implement advanced type of construction such as Bituminous Macadam and white topping without correcting the existing faults of the roads(not rectifying the bottom portion of the existing roads.The lack of supervision and the lack of experience&training(Both the Engineers and Contractors)are major concern accelerating the failures.Another interesting factor in Kerala is “In certain engineering departments,Mechanical&Electrical Engineers are supervising Civil Engineering works with a common man’s knowledge creating dangerous structures to the Public.It is funny to notice that the time available for Preparation of Detailed Project Report&Execution time is only 20%considering the time required for necessary sanctions.Tendering and Agreement&Shifting of electrical utilities,Telephone accessories,Water supply&Sewers.It is normal practice by water authority officials dig(in certain cases full width)the newly constructed roads with/without permission from concerned agencies in Dry seasons(As the demand of water is important in that season)leading to heavy loss of Public Money&bringing back to 30 years back condition
There is no proper mechanism to examine the various roads under the jurisdiction of each engineering departments at least once in a month.The concerned engineers should visit the respective roads assess the present condition suitably.The departments should have an internal repairing unit at least in district wise to take immediate action rather than tendering and doing it after two years by pumping more air to balloons.Drainage of water in the existing roads should be evaluated and suitable arrangements for drainage should be established to protect existing roads.New roads shall not be constructed without assessing and providing suitable drainage system&sufficient width.
Another important scenery in Kerala is the disappearance of footpaths from existing roads with the road development creating accidents to Public especially school children.In some cases a white border is marked,but there is no use,the drivers of various vehicles try to follow free air passage width,even without considering the tar edges as traffic awareness is very very poor in Kerala.
The Medians provided in the existing roads should be assessed and corrected as it creates accidents in certain cases.In some cases the tar levels are reached less or near to median top-level due to resurfacing.The roads should be marked at least in humps&crossings and the humps should be designated&provided scientifically and may be provided in necessary cases only.It is another important factor in road accidents as it is artificially created.
In Kerala,the best alternative to this kind of problems is to establish a well-developed Railway Network with necessary road connectivity to Major stations.As there is no real estate business in Railway development,it may see in white papers only.

Using New Technologies without any training or precautions & proper investigation in Civil Engineering works

In recent days, there is a tendency to use new technologies in civil works like the construction of bridges, building without any training of concerned technical people or without any precautions and proper investigation causing severe accidents or verge of accidents.Photostat copy of technologies without understanding the soil conditions, vibratory loads etc. may be the reason for such cases.Recent accidents in major engineering works in Kerala shows the negligence from the concerned authorities for the life of common people.

QUALITY OF SAND USING FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKS IN KERALA

Construction of a House is a dream of a common man’s life.But the life of buildings so constructed depends on the quality of materials and workmanship. In recent days, quality of sand and reinforcement is major concern in construction activities.Their is no way to ascertain the source of sand used for construction purposes.Anyway it is an unknown factor for the owner of the House and his right to know the source and quality of sand is denied in most of the cases.In economically weaker sections, their is a compromise in cost also.They are forced to use cheaper materials.In certain cases, sea sand is mixed with natural river sand and forcing to buy the bad quality materials at a higher cost.Huge volumes of natural river sand is available in Various Dams and such potential needs to utilized in future. Ban of sand mining in local areas considering the environmental issues does not solve the common man’s problems or protect the river or water body.But it only increases the cost of materials and scarcity of materials leading to a higher cost of construction. M-sand is a good substitute of sand, but its quality and care to be taken in the construction process should be ensured.The use of poor quality of sand will affect the structure from foundation to roof top, reducing the life span of the structure and causing fear to occupants.Also the cost of repair will be huge in certain cases.Even, it may cause serious leakages and Cracks in the structure.It is also required to assess the quality of sand supplied from other states.Laboratories should be established in different part of the state to ensure quality of sand and construction materials similar to medical labs.

SAFETY MEASURES IN CONSTRUCTION SITES OF KERALA

Safety measures adopted in construction sites will affect the quality of construction in most of the cases.The fear imposed on the workers & supervisors in various positions may lead to negligence in critical parts of work.It is a normal practice to provide a yellow cap with out any further provisions for safety especially in Multistoried buildings, precast works, launching of girders, prestressing, form work and welding portions of the work in all cases.The conventional practices in safety needs to be improved considering the current developments in the field of civil engineering.

ENGINEERING WORKS IN COASTAL AREAS OF KERALA

Kerala has gifted with a long length of coastal line.But the improper construction activities may destroy the equilibrium of nature ( sea ). Sea provides food,job, transportation facilities and balancing the environment, even though the dumping of wastes in return to it.Construction of harbours without proper study and planning may erode one area in certain cases. Also the dumping of stones for protection works needs to be improved in proper ways.constructional activities needs to controlled considering the needs of fisherman people

COST OF CONSTRUCTION & TIMELY COMPLETION OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN KERALA ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTS

A lot of INFRASTRUCTURE projects in Kerala are partially completed or in a slow rate of progress. Most of the projects are not properly planned in initial stages.Also the time available for the detailed engineering preparation of the projects is very less compared to the time available for necessary approval and sanction from the concerned authorities.There is no environmental impact study in most of the cases.Also the availability of land is a major problem in certain cases.Roads are not properly planned in most of the cities of KERALA. Obeying traffic rules is a serious problem in recent days.Congested roads will leads to slow development of the area.In most of the cases, the construction cost of huge project is in the multiple times of planned cost at initial stage.In certain cases the project may be delayed for years.The availability of drinking water will become a serious issue in future.There is no planned waste management and treatment mechanism in Kerala.The people are forced to accept the smell of the wastes throughout their life.There is no concern of drainage of water in most of the projects.A natural drainage system may not be replaced by an artificial arrangement in most of the cases. The availability of sufficient electricity is also a major concern in future.if it is properly identified and utilized, Natural resources like wind or tidal energy can play a major role in future.The availability of skilled labour will be a major issue in future at bottom level.

ADOPTING NEW DEVELOPMENTS & TECHNOLOGIES OF CIVIL ENGINEERING IN KERALA PWD

As their is more mechanized technologies available in the field of Civil Engineering in recent times, the adoption of such techniques in PWD is in a very slow rate.it may be due to the lack of training, availability of skilled personnel in certain areas, low risk with the following of easy conventional methods, the slow mechanism, poor correlation between various wings and due to the lack of planning.The requirement of Lab & Training facilities like KHRI (situated in SOUTHERN area) in kochi and calicut area may provide a better testing & training facilities in CENTRAL and NORTH parts of KERALA. The pot hole filling mechanism used in PWD is in such a way that the pot holes will be developed at the same location in future in certain cases. In the construction of roads, more concern is to be given for the soil conditions, drainage of water , skilled labour and quality of bitumen in most of the cases. In building construction, more concern is to be given for Quality of concrete, its ingredients, skilled labour and quality of steel reinforcement especially TMT bars in most of the cases.