like in some foreign countries, bamboo will also be used in the construction of houses, hotels and commercial buildings in Madhya Pradesh. These houses will be economic, strong, weather-resistant (not cold in winter and not hot in summer), quake-resistant. It will help in checking tree felling and provide maximum employment to bamboo craftsmen.
This was disclosed at a workshop, "Use of Bamboo in Construction Works," organised by the Madhya Pradesh State Bamboo Mission here on Wednesday.
Principal Secretary for Forests Basant Prasad Singh inaugurated the workshop while Bhopal division Commissioner SB Singh presided over the function. State's prominent builders, bamboo architects of the country and from abroad and engineers of IIT Delhi participated in the workshop.
The Bhopal division Commissioner said that efforts will be made to make available skilled and trained manpower for bamboo construction through ITI s in the State. The ITIs exist in all districts of the State. Singh said that the mission should help in sale of bamboo products. A balance should be struck by supplying bamboo from areas where it is available aplenty to the areas where it is in much demand.
Managing Director of State Forest Development Corporation RN Saxena said that no other wood is more useful than bamboo. Use of bamboo directly benefits local community and the poor.
Through a slide show, Mission Director Madhya Pradesh State Bamboo Mission AK Bhattacharya informed about construction of state-of-the-art and highly attractive houses in America, Germany, Costa Rica, China, Japan, Thailand and other countries. Bhattacharya said that this will increase bamboo production and income of bamboo-growing farmers. Bhattacharya said that bamboo is fast-growing plant, which is stronger than steel.
Builders Association's president Vipin Goyal and CREDAI's Vice-President Manoj Meek suggested to start process of bamboo construction works by constructing 50 stalls and labourers' shanties in the ensuing fair.
Delhi IIT's Prateek Gupta, Founder-Director of Konkan Bamboo & Cane Development Centre Sanjeev Karpe, Project Director (INHAF) Rebecca Reubens, Course Director of Bamboo Centre for Excellence Neelam Manjunath, Vaibhav Kale of Wondergrass, Nagpur, Jagdish Venjela of IPRT Bengaluru, Sankalp of CEPT University, Ahmedabad and Dev Mukherjee of Artisan America also spoke on the occasion.