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A Management Approach to Addressing
Power Sector Issues in India
-- Ipshita Basu and Renuka Garg
Power sector in India is an essential infrastructural element necessary for robust economic development but is plagued by multifarious issues. The perpetual poor condition of the sector calls for a proactive result-oriented system to address the issues and not resort to committees, policies and aimless bureaucratic deliberations. This study presents the findings of an empirical survey listing the main issues affecting the sector, and concludes that many of the power sector issues are interrelated, the solutions to which do not lie with only the power ministry. It suggests the employment of a practical management approach to tackle these issues. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Affordable Housing for Urban Poor in India: Prospects and Challenges
-- B L Rajput
Housing is considered as one of the basic human needs. According to the Government of India, the total housing requirement during the 11th Plan period would be 26.53 million dwelling units. Further 99% of this shortage pertains to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Lower Income Groups (LIG). Inspite of the necessary steps taken by the central, state and local governments, there exists a large gap between the demand and supply of houses. If suitable measures are not taken, this gap will again increase and further aggravate the urban housing shortage problem. The growing urban housing shortage is mainly because of the exponential growth of population, fast rate of urbanization and inadequate addition to the existing housing stock. At present, India needs to build many million homes at the right location with affordable prices and adequate quality, especially for EWS and LIG class of people. This paper mainly discusses the background of urban housing shortage in India and the necessary steps needed to reduce the urban housing shortage. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Stakeholders’ Perception on the Buildability Practice
in the Nigerian Building Construction Industry
-- Shehu Ahmadu Bustani, Kabir Bala, Yetomiwa Kabirat Smith,
Nasiru Idris Medugu and M Rafee Majid
The paper highlights the relevance of integrating construction knowledge with design at the pre-construction stage. The extent to which construction knowledge is factored into the design of building to facilitate ease of construction and achievement of the project objectives has always been a subject of debate. Against this background, this paper examines the perception of stakeholders of building projects, namely, the owners, designers and contractors on the buildability practice in Nigeria. A questionnaire was designed and administered to the selected stakeholders. Results of the response from 42 questionnaire surveys revealed that the stakeholders ranked functionality/client satisfaction as the most important design consideration. In the same way, standardization was considered as the most important buildability attribute. Stakeholders’ overall ranking also showed that design and build is the most favored method in terms of support to buildability. Furthermore, joint design review by designers and builders/constructors at the early design stage was ranked as the most effective means of enhancing ease of construction among some suggested methods. The outcome of the research would assist in understanding the critical issues impacting buildability improvement within the context of the building construction industry in Nigeria. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Millennium Development Goals and Infrastructure for Sustained
Economic Growth: A Contemporary Quandary for the Indian Economy
-- Sujit Kumar Roy
The stellar performance of the Indian economy, being widely publicized as the success of the democratic setup of the country, has drawn admirable attention from the rest of the world. But vis-à-vis this tinsel growth story, its democratic deficit also makes itself manifest in the rising number of the underclass who have not benefited from this growth. Even with 11 Five Year Plans, India is still to ensure food, drinking water, basic education and healthcare for all. On the other hand, despite a near double-digit growth, the Indian economy is on the throes of infrastructural deficits, posing serious threat to its growth potential. Sustained economic growth requires investments in critical infrastructure such as roads, railways, airports and even swanky malls and hotels for its super rich. Which way should India go? This paper explores the contradiction of India’s economic growth which has failed to touch the lives of its poor and suggests that much of its policy dilemma can be resolved in the light of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—the widely accepted benchmark for acceptable level of poverty, hunger, child mortality and other parameters of human well being. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Performance of Power Sector in Andhra Pradesh:
A Study of APGENCO Limited
-- G Shailaja and K Rajender
Power sector plays a predominant role in the economic development of a country. To maintain the average growth rate of the Indian economy at 7%, the country has to increase its energy consumption by at least 4% annually. India is not only the world’s 11th largest energy producer (24%) but also the 6th largest energy consumer (3.4%); however, the growth is not commensurate with the increasing demand for power. Though the Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APGENCO) Limited is one of the biggest power generation corporations of Andhra Pradesh, it has also been facing some problems, such as increasing cost of production and target achievements in the process of fulfilling the needs of households, and industrial and agricultural sectors. This paper attempts to evaluate the performance of APGENCO, focusing on the key areas of Plant Load Factor (PLF), sector-wise consumption, installed capacity, cost of generation as well as targets and achievements for the study period. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
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