+
Supply of building materials on sites is an issue
Real Estate

Supply of building materials on sites is an issue

NCC Urban Infrastructure is an 80-per-cent subsidiary of NCC, which is listed on the stock exchange, and its activities are principally in real estate, which include residential, commercial, townships, SEZ, and serviced apartment complexes. It has a pan-India presence across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Vizag and Dubai.

In an exclusive video interview hosted by CONSTRUCTION WORLD, NR Alluri, Managing Director, NCC Urban Infrastructure, speaks on how the firm has been managing the COVID crisis, focus areas going forward, and more...

Excerpts:

Managing the COVID crisis: There have not been much activities on our sites. In the last few days, some sites have started opening up in Karnataka. Some of our sites have opened up, but only partially. Labour availability and the issue of migrant labour is still a challenge. Some migrant labourers have already left for their villages. I think people will start coming back only after the end of this month, after the lockdown has been lifted.

We have about 700-800 people on each of our construction sites. We have sites in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ranchi, etc. Here too, we have started some parts of construction, running at different capacities of course. We have standard operating procedures and the sites are being taken care of. We are also following all the safety precautions required at sites, in lieu of the current pandemic. We are also providing the labourers with food, etc, on site.

There is also a problem of the supply of building materials on sites, especially around Delhi. Materials have not been coming in from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to Delhi – so we are facing struggles in terms of the materials. With cement as a material per se, we are not having issues; we just need to inform the manufacturers about our requirement. But logistics is an issue, and the government ought to do something about it. Even the labourers from these places are not being able to come to our sites in Delhi. But I think once the trains start, things will fall into place and most of the labourers will come back. Technologies to expedite construction: We are already using technologies and machineries in our projects. But at the end of the day, we need manpower. The only thing we can do is digitise our processes, so that we don’t need to do many things manually. For instance, most of the back-end works like surveys, planning, marketing, etc, are done digitally. Even our people do not need to personally go on sites, but can do things online through technology.

Sectors of focus: Typically, we have always been more focused on the residential side with a bit of commercial. We will continue our focus on residential with a bit of affordable housing because of the thrust on the segment. We are looking at some PPP mode projects in affordable housing. We are also looking at rental housing as an option. We have planned one or two commercial buildings, which we will be able to complete going forward. Speaking about international operations, we have exited our projects in Dubai and have recently closed all our international operations.

Timeframe to bounce back: I think it will take about a year or more for the sector to get back to normal with the ongoing COVID crisis. Keeping in view the statistics, residential sector is definitely more secure as compared to the stock markets. Buying a house from your savings is not a bad idea. It is better to own your house, and we see that people are thinking about this.

Performance for 2019-20: In March this year, our sales stood at around Rs 250 crore, more or less the same as last year.

Watch the full video on what NR Alluri has to say on the company’s performance, sectors of focus and more...

Stay tuned for Construction World’s FREE webinars. View our complete webinar calendar and previous webinars here.

NCC Urban Infrastructure is an 80-per-cent subsidiary of NCC, which is listed on the stock exchange, and its activities are principally in real estate, which include residential, commercial, townships, SEZ, and serviced apartment complexes. It has a pan-India presence across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Vizag and Dubai.In an exclusive video interview hosted by CONSTRUCTION WORLD, NR Alluri, Managing Director, NCC Urban Infrastructure, speaks on how the firm has been managing the COVID crisis, focus areas going forward, and more...Excerpts:Managing the COVID crisis: There have not been much activities on our sites. In the last few days, some sites have started opening up in Karnataka. Some of our sites have opened up, but only partially. Labour availability and the issue of migrant labour is still a challenge. Some migrant labourers have already left for their villages. I think people will start coming back only after the end of this month, after the lockdown has been lifted.We have about 700-800 people on each of our construction sites. We have sites in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ranchi, etc. Here too, we have started some parts of construction, running at different capacities of course. We have standard operating procedures and the sites are being taken care of. We are also following all the safety precautions required at sites, in lieu of the current pandemic. We are also providing the labourers with food, etc, on site.There is also a problem of the supply of building materials on sites, especially around Delhi. Materials have not been coming in from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to Delhi – so we are facing struggles in terms of the materials. With cement as a material per se, we are not having issues; we just need to inform the manufacturers about our requirement. But logistics is an issue, and the government ought to do something about it. Even the labourers from these places are not being able to come to our sites in Delhi. But I think once the trains start, things will fall into place and most of the labourers will come back. Technologies to expedite construction: We are already using technologies and machineries in our projects. But at the end of the day, we need manpower. The only thing we can do is digitise our processes, so that we don’t need to do many things manually. For instance, most of the back-end works like surveys, planning, marketing, etc, are done digitally. Even our people do not need to personally go on sites, but can do things online through technology.Sectors of focus: Typically, we have always been more focused on the residential side with a bit of commercial. We will continue our focus on residential with a bit of affordable housing because of the thrust on the segment. We are looking at some PPP mode projects in affordable housing. We are also looking at rental housing as an option. We have planned one or two commercial buildings, which we will be able to complete going forward. Speaking about international operations, we have exited our projects in Dubai and have recently closed all our international operations.Timeframe to bounce back: I think it will take about a year or more for the sector to get back to normal with the ongoing COVID crisis. Keeping in view the statistics, residential sector is definitely more secure as compared to the stock markets. Buying a house from your savings is not a bad idea. It is better to own your house, and we see that people are thinking about this.Performance for 2019-20: In March this year, our sales stood at around Rs 250 crore, more or less the same as last year.Watch the full video on what NR Alluri has to say on the company’s performance, sectors of focus and more...Stay tuned for Construction World’s FREE webinars. View our complete webinar calendar and previous webinars here.

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

WattPower, First Solar Host Solar Connect to Boost Agri-Solar in Telangana

WattPower, a renewable energy solutions provider, in collaboration with First Solar, hosted a high-level industry roundtable titled ‘Solar Connect’ at Vivanta, Hyderabad. The event focused on advancing agri-solar deployment in Telangana under the PM-KUSUM scheme. The session brought together policymakers, clean energy experts, and project stakeholders to address the core challenges in scaling agri-solar infrastructure. The agenda included technical presentations by both companies and a panel discussion moderated by Pavit Gandhi, Director, Sales, WattPower. The panel, titled “Un..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

PM Modi to Launch Rs 12 Billion Projects in Bihar, Rs 5 Billion in West Bengal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bihar and West Bengal on Friday to launch a series of development projects worth over Rs 17 billion, aimed at strengthening infrastructure, connectivity, and socio-economic growth in the two states.Projects in BiharIn Bihar, the Prime Minister will lay foundation stones, inaugurate, and dedicate projects spanning rail, road, rural development, fisheries, electronics, and information technology sectors.He will inaugurate multiple rail projects, including the automatic signalling system on the Samastipur-Bachhwara rail line for improved train operations. T..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

IRCON Secures Rs 1.87 Billion in Major Mumbai Metro and Rail Contracts

State-owned engineering firm IRCON International Limited announced on Friday, 18 July, that it has secured three major infrastructure contracts worth over Rs 1.87 billion. The awards include two contracts for Mumbai Metro projects from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and one railway project in Madhya Pradesh from Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL).IRCON received a Letter of Award from RVNL for a railway infrastructure project valued at Rs 756 million (inclusive of GST) in Madhya Pradesh. The contract was awarded to the IRCON–JPWIPL joint venture, where IRCON holds a..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?