CHENNAI: India is short of two million skilled blue collar workers despite the construction sector being the second largest employer in the country and expected to grow faster than any other industry, said Niranjan Hiranandani, founder and chairman of Hiranandani Communities, on Tuesday.
“The country is short of two million skilled blue collar workers like plumbers, fitters, electricians, marble-layers, painters, etc. By 2030, the shortage is expected to go up to five million,” he said while addressing media at the launch of the premium senior living township Elements at Hiranandani Parks in Chennai’s suburb Oragadam. The project is coming up with an investment of Rs 300 crore and is expected to be completed in two-and-a-half years.
Hiranandani Parks, Oragadam, has an ambitious revenue target of ₹4,000 crore, developing nearly 100 acres of prime real estate. Elements at Hiranandani Parks project in Oragadam will be developed with Chennai-based luxury housing developer GTB Urban Developers.
Speaking about the measures that need to be taken to fill the gap of skilled workers, Hiranandani said there is a need to skill more workers in the proper way through AI, videos and training at construction sites. He also said that in the next five years the demand for A-grade warehouses will be huge, which will have robots and can be automated to store products efficiently.
When asked about the fallout with his daughter and brother Surendra Hiranandani, he said that his brother wants to join hands with him and his grandson will be interning under him.
Meanwhile, Arun Bharathi, MD of GTB Urban Developers, said as a developer which is constructing townships for senior citizens, it is focusing on providing cost-efficient maintenance services to its clients.
He also said that after the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) was formed, there has been consolidation in the real estate sector as several small players have been eliminated from the market because of lack of capability, financial capital and market trust.
He cited the example of Mumbai-MMR, which had 18,000 developers before RERA, but now there are 11,000 left. He said, “Consolidation will take place when the industry is regulated and the big players will grow bigger. This is happening in every industry. Failure of construction projects has reduced drastically post-RERA period.”
Shridhar N, CEO, Real Estate & Infrastructure, Hiranandani Communities, said: “The real estate major is planning to set up 16 million sq feet of warehouse and has 6 million-sq-foot operational warehouses across India.”