Time for earthquake resistance buildings for Manipur: Experts

Our Correspondent
IMPHAL, January 25

In order to build earthquake resistance concrete buildings and structures in Manipur, a daylong workshop was held under the aegis of North Eastern Masons’ Union Manipur and Manipur building centre in Imphal on Sunday.
Secretary Tayenjam Shanta Meitei of NEMU Manipur said that they organized the gathering to discuss the construction issues considering that our masons need necessary training for the construction of houses as most of the houses in Manipur are constructed without consulting the experts. “We are also organizing an exclusive training for masons in March this year,”he added.
Experts who work in different government agencies while sharing their feelings and experiences during the day long workshop on performance of buildings during January 4 earthquakes in Manipur here on Sunday expressed the need to build earthquake resistant concrete buildings and structures in Manipur as the state lies under earthquake zone V.
Director of Manipur Housing and Urban Development Nepram Gitkumar made a presentation on role of architechs, engineers and masons while former Chief Engineer of state public works department Thangjam Joykumar who is also consultant of Asian Development Bank on earthquake resistance construction practices.
In his presentation on defects of construction during the day’s workshop,Ngangom Dilip Meitei, an engineer of Planning and Development Authority(PDA), Manipur advised the masons and owners of the houses to consult artichects prior to actual construction of the concrete buildings. He also expressed that the owners of the houses or buildings may need to spend only about 30 percent of the construction cost for building an earthquake resistant structure in the region.
Senior architech B Krishnakumar Sharma of Public Works Department, Government of Manipur while speaking on the issues relating to Architech for seismic safety also advised the masons to convince their respective owners about the importance of consulting architechs prior to the formal construction of the concrete houses in a place like Manipur.He also informed the gathering there are certain important architechtural methods and techniques for buildings the concrete houses and offices both in valley and hills to avoid any unwanted episodes during natural calamities in the state.