To meet the target of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship programme, Housing for All by 2022, the construction wing of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA), the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC), will import technology from Hungary, Russia and the USA that can help construct houses for poor within seven to ten days.
The new construction technology called Non-Tectonic System will be imported from Hungary while the 3D printing technology is expected to be imported from Russia and the USA.
In July, Modi had advocated 3D printing construction technology for building cheaper houses. This is a pre-programmed computer-controlled construction technology and its use reduces construction time and improves quality.
The Ministry has sanctioned over 32 lakh affordable houses till date. Besides, the NBCC is also planning to launch over 1,000 ready-to-move-in housing units this festive season in Delhi-NCR and in lucknow priced between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 1 crore.
According to NBCC CMD, Anoop Kumar Mittal, these technologies would be very useful in Tier II and smaller cities. “They will help in the implementation of low-cost housing projects in villages,” he said. The Non-Tectonic System is designed to build houses in mass quantities at extra speed, through setting up of a factory that would produce modules, suitable for building housing units of any category and shape.
The technology is highly useful for affordable housing projects as the cost of construction would be reduced by 20 per cent to 25 per cent per dwelling unit. In fact, one factory set up for the purpose is able to produce 10,000 housing units per year. The NBCC has signed a pact with a Hungarian company, Gremound Engine-ering ltd., for partnership in introducing the new construction technology in India.
Mittal said the NBCC is in consultation with Russia and the USA to import 3D printing technology for construction of affordable houses. 3D printing refers to processes used to create a three-dimensional object in which layers of material are formed under computer control to create an object. The cost involved in 3D technology is low as it involves minimal use of labour and greater use of machinery.
3D printing in construction is done with a super-sized printer that uses special concrete as well as a composite mixture thicker than usual mixes. This allows the mixture to easily fix into all types of sets. Once the house is complete, the printer is removed with a crane-manipulator and presumably the roof is then added, followed by interior fixtures and fittings.
Regarding Delhi-NCR projects ready to be launched in one or two months, Mittal said that around 700 ready-to-move-in units are part of the two projects in Gurugram. Most of these units in Gurugram and lucknow will be in the price range of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 1 crore.
The company is also planning to launch residential units in the range of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh in loni during the festive season. “These will be launched in the next ten days,” said Mittal. The NBCC is also planning to launch units in Gomti Nagar, lucknow.
Asked about taking over stressed projects of Jaypee Infratech and Amrapali, he said the company has not received any offer from any stakeholder including buyers, builders or the Government. However, he said the company would certainly consider if there is any opportunity, provided projects are viable and do not bring a bad name to the NBCC.