December 1, 2011 33thIEI Celebrates 44 Engineers’ DaythIEI Celebrates 44 Engineers’ Day

Theme : Engineering Preparedness for Disaster MitigationThe 44th Engineers' Day was celebrated by the Institution all over the country on September 15, 2011 to commemorate the 151st birth anniversary of legendary engineer-

statesman Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya. Brief accounts of the celebration as received from various Centres are highlighted hereunder.

STATE CENTRES

Andhra Pradesh

The Chief Guest, Dr D N Reddy, former Vice Chancellor, JNTUH and Chairman, AICTE, Southern Region, stressed that apart from graduate engineers, we need to produce technicians at supervision and field levels. The Guest-of-Honour, Dr A Ramakrishna, former President and Deputy Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro Ltd, suggested that a healthy environment should be created to encourage and motivate the budding engineers and technologists. Dr S Nagabhushana Rao, Immediate Past Chairman of the Centre and Council Member, IEI, delivered lecture on ‘Life and Achievements of Sir M V’. The function was presided over by Prof T Narayana, Chairman of the Centre. Earlier, Mr G Sudhakar, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, welcomed the august gathering. A Seminar on the theme was organized on this occasion which was presided over by Mr V N Wakpanjar, Chief Engineer, Central Water Commission, Hyderabad.

Haryana

The Chief Guest, Mr Mahesh Kumar, Engineer-in-Chief, PWD (B&R), Haryana, delivered the keynote address. Mr Victor Gambhir, Chairman of the Centre was the Guest-of-Honour. Mr K C Sethi, Council Member, IEI, threw light on the life-sketch of Sir M Visvesvaraya. Dr D K Gupta, Chairman, Geeta Educational Trust and Managing Director, GIMT, presided over the function.

Himachal Pradesh

The Chief Guest, Dr R K Sood, Advisor cum Consultant, State Disaster Management Authority, Department of Revenue, Government of Himachal Pradesh, in his keynote address, laid emphasis on natural disaster gave presentation on the ‘Engineering Preparedness for Disaster Mitigation’. Earlier, Mr S C Sood, Chairman of the Centre, welcomed the gathering. Mr N K Gupta, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, briefed the life-sketch of Sir M Visvesvaraya. Mr A K Vij, Past Chairman of the Centre, proposed the vote of thanks.

Orissa

The Chief Guest, Mr S K Ray, Engineer-in-Chief cum Secretary to Government of Orissa, Works Department, Orissa, emphasized on man-made disaster and how scientifically it could be mitigated. The Chief Speaker, Prof (Dr) N K Mahalik, from Utkal University, delivered lecture on ‘Natural Disasters and their Management with Special Reference to India’. Earlier, Mr P K Giri, Chairman of the Centre, welcomed the gathering while Dr R K Biswal, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, narrated the life-sketch of Sir M Visvesvaraya.

Punjab and Chandigarh

Mr S L Aggarwal, Member, Bhakra Beas Management Board, Chandigarh and Mr S S Dhaliwal, former Chief Engineer, Punjab Irrigation Department, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and Guest-of-Honour, respectively and delivered lectures. Mr Parminder Singh Bhogal, Superintending Engineer, BML Circle, Patiala, delivered the keynote address. Earlier, Mr R P Garg, Chairman of the Centre, welcomed the august gathering. Mr M N Sharma, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, proposed the vote of thanks.

West Bengal

Mr Archan Kusum Majumdar, Chairman of the Centre, welcomed the gathering and spoke about the significance of the day. Mr Subrata Bakshi, Minister-in-Charge, PWD and Transport, Government of West Bengal, was the Chief Guest. The Special Guest, Prof Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, responsible for Machine Intelligence Development at Indian Statistical Institute, Baranagar, Kolkata, dwelt on disaster prediction and disaster management. Mr Amitava Ghosal, Vice Chairman and Director, STUP Consultants, in his keynote address, defined the term disaster and explained the ways and means adopted for mitigation of such disasters. Mr Nirmal Kumar Das, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, proposed the vote of thanks.

Anpara

The Chief Guest, Mr H M Parashar, General Manager (HR), Lanco Power Project, in his address called upon the engineering fraternity to make all efforts to reduce the damages/losses caused by disasters through proper and timely mitigation/management action. Mr Ajay Pratap Singh, Assistant Engineer, Anpara Thermal Power Station, in his keynote address, emphasized the need to work together to combat challenges and suggested various steps to mitigate disasters. Experts in the field also delivered

LOCAL CENTRES

lectures. Mr Tribhuvan Tiwari, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, proposed the vote of thanks.

Asansol

The Chief Guest, Mr Soiles Bhattacharya, Advisor and former Director (Finance), SAIL, stressed for considering steel structures in place of RCC structures for construction of buildings in the earthquake prone areas to minimize the effects of disasters like earthquakes. Mr B Prasad, Regional Director, CMPDI of Coal India Ltd and Dr A K Ganguly, Principal-in-Charge, Asansol Engineering College, graced the occasion as the Guests-of-Honour and delivered lectures. Mr T K Mukherjee, Advisor, Durgapur Projects Ltd, was the Special Guest. Earlier, Mr Rajeev Verma, Chairman of the Centre, welcomed the gathering. Mr G Viswanadhan, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, proposed the vote of thanks.

Berhampur

The Chief Speaker, Mr Janaki Ballava Mohapatra, Chief Engineer cum Basin Manager, RVN Basin, Berhampur, spoke on the importance of different river basin management with specific importance to flood water disaster management by adequate database and use of modern telemetry technology. The Guest-of-Honour, Mr Safeen Ahmed K, Superintendent of Police, Berhampur, highlighted the role of engineers and technology in human society as well as for the development of the country. Earlier, Mr A Subudhi, Chairman of the Centre, welcomed the gathering.

Bokaro Steel City

A Seminar on the theme was organised. The Chief Guest, Mr S S Mohanty, Managing Director, BSL, in his keynote address highlighted the serious threat of the environment and urged the engineers to come out with fruitful solutions. Papers were presented by the experts in the field. A Souvenir was brought out on this occasion, which was released by the Chief Guest. Earlier, Mr Tapan Kumar Das, Chairman of the Centre, welcomed the gathering. Mr Ramadhar Jha, Immediate Past Chairman of the Centre, proposed the vote of thanks.

Coimbatore

The Chief Guest, Dr Baldev Raj, (former Director, IGCAR and President, INAE) and President-Research, PSG Institutions, Coimbatore, delivered lecture on the theme. Earlier, Dr V Selladurai, Immediate Past Chairman of the Centre, welcomed the gathering. Dr P S Sai Prasad, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, proposed the vote of thanks.

Ghaziabad

Mr R R Tanwar, Chairman of the Centre, in his welcome address highlighted the importance of the day. Mr Gurdial Singh, former Chairman, CEA and Mr S C Gaur, Town Planner, GDA, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and the Guest-of-Honour, respectively. Dr A K Mittal, former Chief Engineer, CPWD, made presentation on ‘Mitigation Measures to Prevent Earthquake Hazards and Safe Construction Practices’.

Jammu

The Chief Guest, Mr Surjit Singh Slathia, Hon’ble Minister for Industries & Commerce, J&K State, in his address, appreciated the services rendered by the engineers in building the nation and advised them to follow the footsteps of Sir M Visvesvaraya. Earlier, Mr A K Gupta, Chairman of the Centre, welcomed the gathering and highlighted the achievements of Sir M Visvesvaraya. Papers on various aspects embracing the theme were presented in the technical session. Mr Sunil Sharma, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, proposed the vote of thanks.

Kanpur

Dr S C Srivastava, Deputy Director, IIT Kanpur, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and delivered lecture. Dr Durgesh C Rai, Professor, Civil Engineering Department, IIT Kanpur, delivered keynote address on the theme. In his address, Dr Rai touched upon various aspects of disaster mitigation and stressed on creating awareness amongst the common people. Mr R K Bansal, Vice Chairman, IETE, Kanpur Local Centre, also addressed the gathering. Earlier, Dr S N Singh, Chairman of the Centre, in his welcome address presented the life-sketch of Sir M Visvesvaraya. Mr U S Yadav, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, proposed the vote of thanks.

Kota

Mr O P Saxena, Chairman of the Centre, in his welcome address, introduced the theme of the day. Mr C S Chacha, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, highlighted the significance of the day. The Chief Guest, Mr S C Agrawal, President, Assocaiated Stone Industries, Kotah, delivered lecture on various aspects embracing the theme.

Mangalore

Mr K Balakrishna, Chairman of the Centre, presided over the function. Dr S Y Kulkarni, Principal, NMAMIT, Nitte, was the Chief Guest and addressed the gathering. Dr S Shrihari, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, proposed the vote of thanks. On this occasion, a Seminar on the theme was organised which was inaugurated by Dr Kumkum Garg, Director, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal. Experts in the field delivered lectures on various aspects related to the theme.

Roorkee

The Chief Guest, Mr G K Sharma, Director (Project), Uttarakhand Power Corporation Ltd, Dehradun, delivered lecture on ‘Electricity Disaster Management and Mitigation Measures’. Prof I M Mishra, Acting Director, IIT Roorkee, while presiding over the function, highlighted the valuable contributions of Sir M Visvesvaraya. Earlier, Prof S Prakash, Chairman of the Centre, briefed about the importance of the day.

Salem

Mr J Gnana Sekaran J, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, welcomed the august gathering and briefed about the importance of the day. Mr D Ravichander, Chief Executive Officer, JSW Steel Plant, Salem, was the Chief Guest and delivered lecture on the theme. Mr M Rnagasamy, Chairman of the Centre, also addressed the gathering.

Sunabeda

Mr Debashis Deb, Chairman and Mr A K Behra, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, welcomed the august gathering. Mr B N Mohanty, Executive Director (Mines & Refinery), NALCO Ltd, Damanjodi, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Mr A K Aseri, General Manager (Engine), HAL, Koraput and Mr A K Roy, Additional General Manager, Sukhoi Engine Division, HAL, Sunabeda, were the Guests-of-Honour. Mr Dasharathi Nanda, former Engineer-in-Chief, Government of Orissa, was the Chief Speaker. All the dignitaries delivered lectures on various aspects embracing the theme.

Udaipur

Dr S S Rathore, Chairman of the Centre, welcomed the august gathering. The Chief Guest, Padma Shri Prof Harsh Gupta, former Secretary, Department of Ocean Development, Government of India, spoke about National Data Buoy Programme and Indian Early Warning System with modelling of earthquakes and Tsumani. The function was Chaired by Dr K N Nag, former Vice Chancellor, Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner. Dr Y C Bhatt, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, proposed the vote of thanks.

Upper Assam

The Chief Guest, Mr Bindanda Deka, GGM, Oil India Ltd, Duliajan and Guests-of-Honour, Mr Bipul Baruah,GM, BVFCL and Mr Chitra Bhanu Bose, DGM, Oil India Ltd, Duliajan, addressed the gathering and highlighted the importance of the theme. Mr Ratul Bardoloi, Chairman of the Centre, in his address dwelt at length on the significance of the day and elaborated on the theme. Earlier, Mr K K Saikia, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, welcomed the august gathering.

Varanasi

The Chief Guest, Mr Lalit Kapoor, DRM, North Eastern Railway, delivered lecture on the theme. Mr Praveen Kumar, Senior DME, North Eastern Railway, delivered lecture on ‘Disaster Management Prevalent in Indian Railways’. Earlier, Dr S N Mahendra, Chairman of the Centre, welcomed the gathering.

Visakhapatnam

The Chief Guest, Mr M Girija Sankar, Joint Collector, Visakhapatnam District, emphasized the role of engineers in disaster management. Dr P Gurumurthy, Scientist in Charge, DAATT, Vizianagram, spoke about various disasters like drought and flood with reference to agriculture. Earlier, Dr K Narayana Rao, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, welcomed the gathering. Mr S Narayana Rao, Chairman of the Centre, presided over the function.

Warangal

Mr K V Sridhar, Honorary Secretary of the Centre, highlighted the life-sketch of Sir M Visvesvaraya. Mr Rahul Bojja, District Collector and Magistrate, Warangal, was the Chief Guest. Prof N V Umamahesh, Department of Civil Engineering, NIT, Warangal, was the Speaker of the day. The function was presided over by Prof D V L N Somayajulu, Chairman of the Centre.