Housing is a major concern area for the government. Hindustan Prefab Ltd (HPL) has successfully completed many infrastructure projects in India, including housing. Rajesh Goel, Chairman and Managing Director of HPL is enthusiastic about future prospects of prefab in the country. Speaking to M Rajendran of The Sunday Standard, he highlighted the opportunities that prefab in housing offers for India.
Excerpts:
What do you dream?
Indians will walk into an online store, design their houses, order walls, roof, doors, windows and in 24-48 hours have the house constructed to move in. Like a Lego toy house. But it will be equally stronger, sturdy and aesthetic. It is possible with prefab material.
That’s a dream...will it be realised?
It is already happening. Globally, it is an accepted way of building houses. In India, baby steps have been taken and soon an eco system should develop for prefab houses. It will become a norm if we can get the right policy and tax support. Housing for All by 2022 is possible and can be easily achieved before the target set by the government. There are many private players too in this field and HPL, as pioneer in prefab platform, can assist in the promotion and expansion of this technology. We have been working with them to customise to Indian habits. Like we prefer to have nails on the walls. So we have asked the stakeholders to keep that while developing the walls.
What would it take for prefab to grow in India?
Change in the mindset. Prefab as a name seems to suggest that the structure is temporary. People have misconception about the houses made of prefab material — houses made of prefab are considered inferior, without testing their quality and reliability. The cost of constructing is almost same for the house build in traditional mode and prefab. But saving is in the time, energy and environment. This will reduce corruption and bring more transparency.
It will need a lot of convincing...
True, and for that we have set up a Housing Technology Park, first in India, that will showcase different technology to build a house, office, hotel, school, hospital or any other building. We have requested Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Venkaiah Naidu to inaugurate it next month. The park has been possible because of the support we received from all the stakeholders. We want to show and convince the people and policy makers, that prefab can offer better quality that can been determined and controlled at the manufacturing level.
What else needs to be done?
It requires awareness too. That will require constant reiteration of this concept and robustness of this technology.
How do you plan to lead this?
There is a huge potential in HPL and I have been learning the ways to lead this movement, whatever I learn from my colleagues, I learn from the person who takes care of me when I am in office or from the person, who drives me home to office and home. They are equally important stakeholders and leader as I am, in promoting the prefab eco-system. My colleagues showed it, that they can do it when set up toilets for many PSUs under Swachh Bharat mission.
Would it be right to describe you as people’s person?
That is an inference for you or your readers to draw. I love nature and people. Whenever I go abroad for meeting and conference, during free time, I spend time at bus stand and watch people. They events you see, tell a lot about their culture. I also observe the nature. I love to spend time in the hills, riverside or sea, they too have many lessons of life.