Sunday, July 29, 2012

Paver Blocks in Colour

If you notice concrete paver blocks used in many pavements, riverfronts and footpaths, you may observe that the colours used are grey-concrete, pale yellow or matt red only. Four-five basic shapes are used in different combinations to make the desired pattern.
Since we are moving towards a blue-and-white theme, I explored the idea of getting blue paver blocks. I was told that paver blocks of this colour are not available. Can these be produced on request?- I asked.
A Digha based firm said no. A top engineer, known to be dynamic and knowledgeable, enquired and later threw up his hands. Finally, Hidco Chief Engineer Ananda Ganguli has got few blue pavers made. These have arrived at site and a little while ago, I went and saw how it looked. Here is a photo on my camera:
For the first time in Bengal, blue paver blocks are used.
(Location: Action Area 1, near 3rd rotary) 
A little but significant step forward for respecting the theme of Kolkata.
* * *
Here is a clipping from today's Times of India. We have a Board Agenda on this tomorrow:

7 comments:

  1. 1. While I am thrilled to find out the innovation involved in getting the blue paver made; too much of blue-white could be an eye-sore. I hope that the existing pavers wouldn't be removed and these ones reinstalled. Themes might change when government changes! :D

    2. Would the non-dadu/didas (non-senior citizens) be allowed in the Dadu/Dida park? Asking this because I am not sure whether you are also planning separate joggers park for everyone.

    Regards,
    Sowmik

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Blue paver looks nice. However having white color has its own disadvantages. The dirt on it can be easily noticed so that requires cleaning at perhaps more frequent intervals.

    By the way, is Hidco planning to do anything like washing roads / mechanised cleaning etc in New Town?

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  4. @Debashish Sen:You hIt the "nail right on the head". Innovation and manpower issues.The Engineering Profession which was the "best export of Bengal". Contributing to more then 2 % of the world GDP,during the tenure of the East India Company and Imperial rule.The Developed west that we see is "built on the best of beautiful Bengal". The shift of Capitol in 1910 started the wrought in this Nobel Innovative Profession.The Foundries and precise machining abilities,phenomenal tunnel and bridge designs,road engineering all thrived at one point.Post Independence Engineering as a Profession became a necessary evil used conveniently to construct short lived structures.In the last 30 years saw the Best brains migrated out of the State and country to practice. The vacuum left behind consisted of "Cannot Do People". Engineers have become glorified paper pushers and signing machines.How else could the Fraternity justify the atrociously dangerous structure and design compromise being done.I usually am not looked as the most Popular practioner hence, specially in Bengal.
    The Academic Institutions have a big lag too.With most cutting edge departments busy scurrying for Grant in Aids to keep the Research Paper churn out intact.I was not amazed to see the recent Global Education vis a vis skill index of India.India compares even lower then Bangladesh with respect to submission of Proto types and value added R&D deploy-able lab to land projects.The NE states has a similar problem of appropriate team and technology trainers.
    However if we take people from Indians origin working outside India .They contribute to that niche 2 % of the global Knowledge Base.
    So though the "going is tough,the tough gets going".
    @Abhishek:Cleaning and Clean discipline development is an Industry,Institution and individual collaborative socio-economic action.Looking nice is one thing.Will it keep looking nice is another thing.It is the mechanism and systems evolved that will ensure the "keep looking nice" program.Cost effectiveness,ease of maintenance and complete monitoring.Never should it ever escape anyone's mind that common infrastructure is built by the Tax Payers hard earned money.In a Country where Rs 32 is the benchmark between Poor and Rich.So it is the collective responsibility to work hand in hand to build the best common facilities that go towards creating Collective Community Wealth.And Yep.We could do with some cool cleaning equipment to clean Our City Of Joy.To just get rid of the stuff collected since 1992 in the Dhapa(@5000 tons per day every day~HAS RISEN TO ABOUT 8000Tons in 2008 ) it would take 1500 Trucks working for 24/7 for 5 years to just unload it into another site.Scary.?.But on a positive note we are developing Plasma Induction Furnaces that will produce 100% Zero Waste plus additives which will be also recycled along the value chain.All waste in One.The Initial calculations done indicate that we can generate 100 MW/HR of Green Power from our Dhapa Every Day.
    We are working on 1.5MW/Hr Modular prototypes with IIsc /IIT and heaps of R&D Institutions .Idea being to be able to scale up and down according to Population size and demand. Essentially to use cutting edge technology, tools and local training creating cluster enterprise and empowerment.

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  5. The Indian Juggad innovation is getting famous by the day, though. I was presented with a book by its author Rishi in Harvard last October. Day before yesterday, at Hyderabad, I came across another book on Indian Juggad innovation

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  6. Juggad Engineering is a "biggest export" for India.India losses 10% of it's best brains in this mayhem.Sadly for a fraction of the cost implication of a similar Western/Developed economy standard.
    The downsize of this "excellent juggad reverse engineering economics" is the slash of standards,specifications and OH&S.The 31 July Black Out is a classic example of the dangers example.
    Hence our fraternity keeps on harping on Pre Set Standards and Specifications.Indians are learning:) to discipline that excellent Juggad to juggle jump.Give India another 10 years and some of the Best Innovations in cutting edge will be from Indian Origin.Did you hear about the world competition on making the thinnest wire.The Finalist were US,GERMANY and India.US made the smallest wire,Germans drilled a hole through the thinnest wire.Indians wrote made in India on It.:)Innovation.Integration.Implementation.3I.:)

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  7. Thanks for sharing. Blocks are larger than bricks. For this reason a block usually requires both hands to lift it for laying. However, because they are
    larger, they can be laid more quickly than bricks, but the bigger size also means less versatility in laying especially when building up ends or corners and also laying to curves.Generally blocks are intended to be plastered. Concrete Blocks Dealers | Buy Construction Materials Online

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