Bright, well-educated graduates are choosing careers in banking, management consultancy, and computer technology instead of civil engineering, with many universities closing down their degree courses in the subject.
"In my graduating class of 46, all but two of us left for IT (information technology)," recalled Ashwin Mahalingam, alumnus and now a professor in civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chennai.
Twelve years after he graduated, Mahalingam said the need for civil engineers has grown hugely, yet the profession still struggled to attract ambitious young Indians.
"There is an impression among students that civil engineers work long hours in the hot sun, the pay is not great, they work in small out-of-the-way towns, and there is some truth to these ideas," Mahalingam said.
"The starting salary of a civil engineer would be half that of someone at (IT giant) Infosys. Long-term the salaries are comparable, but students don't think so far ahead."
Infrastructure problems ranging from dirt roads to power cuts are a major obstacle to India's future growth, and the government plans to spend one trillion dollars on upgrades between 2012 and 2017.
India has jealously watched China's remarkable economic development over the last 20 years, which has been made possible by huge and successful public construction projects.
Experts however warn that India faces a massive shortfall of qualified civil engineers.
Delhi's new metro system is one shining example of the type of project that would be welcomed across India.
But when a new stretch of track opened before the Commonwealth Games, the chief of the project E. Sreedharan complained bitterly about a "severe shortage of architectural and civil engineers."
"Civil engineering standards, particularly in construction industry, are not up to the mark," he said.
The World Bank estimates that India's urban population will grow from 331 million to 500 million by 2017, putting massive pressure on civic infrastructure.
Arnab Bandyopadhyay, a World Bank engineer who wrote a 2009 report on India's road construction industry, told AFP about one-third of civil engineering courses offered by Indian universities had closed over the last ten years.
"We need three times the number of civil engineers for high growth in road construction alone, and roads are only 30 percent of India's total construction requirement," he said.
The risks of poor civil engineering have been made clear in recent years.
The walkway of a dramatic new footbridge built next to the main stadium for last month's Commonwealth Games collapsed days before the event opened, injuring 30 people and becoming a national embarrassment.
Two sections of elevated metro lines in the capital also collapsed during construction in separate accidents in 2008 and 2009, killing two and five people respectively.
"There is definitely a shortage of good quality civil engineers," said Sabu Thomas, head of human resources at Delhi property developers Ansal Housing, explaining that his company trains new engineers for six months.
"It's not just a numbers issue, it's a skills issue—because most of them come here with very basic knowledge," he said.
Some private companies are trying to address the lag by tying up with universities to sponsor courses and recruit graduates.
India's largest construction firm Larsen & Toubro has started offering scholarships and jobs to IIT students.
Salaries have also begun to rise, with civil engineers who have at least three years' experience commanding 50,000 rupees (1,130 dollars) a month, compared with 15,000 five years ago, according to Thomas.
But Mahalingam, who teaches 99 civil engineers a year at IIT, said that much more needs to be done to entice the country's top students to choose construction over more lucrative careers in the IT and banking sectors.
"Until things change, we might manage some big-ticket items like the Delhi Metro with the help of international partners, but other projects will go over-budget, and the delays and safety lapses will carry on," he said.
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
"In my graduating class of 46, all but two of us left for IT (information technology)," recalled Ashwin Mahalingam, alumnus and now a professor in civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chennai.
Twelve years after he graduated, Mahalingam said the need for civil engineers has grown hugely, yet the profession still struggled to attract ambitious young Indians.
"There is an impression among students that civil engineers work long hours in the hot sun, the pay is not great, they work in small out-of-the-way towns, and there is some truth to these ideas," Mahalingam said.
"The starting salary of a civil engineer would be half that of someone at (IT giant) Infosys. Long-term the salaries are comparable, but students don't think so far ahead."
Infrastructure problems ranging from dirt roads to power cuts are a major obstacle to India's future growth, and the government plans to spend one trillion dollars on upgrades between 2012 and 2017.
India has jealously watched China's remarkable economic development over the last 20 years, which has been made possible by huge and successful public construction projects.
Experts however warn that India faces a massive shortfall of qualified civil engineers.
Delhi's new metro system is one shining example of the type of project that would be welcomed across India.
But when a new stretch of track opened before the Commonwealth Games, the chief of the project E. Sreedharan complained bitterly about a "severe shortage of architectural and civil engineers."
"Civil engineering standards, particularly in construction industry, are not up to the mark," he said.
The World Bank estimates that India's urban population will grow from 331 million to 500 million by 2017, putting massive pressure on civic infrastructure.
Arnab Bandyopadhyay, a World Bank engineer who wrote a 2009 report on India's road construction industry, told AFP about one-third of civil engineering courses offered by Indian universities had closed over the last ten years.
"We need three times the number of civil engineers for high growth in road construction alone, and roads are only 30 percent of India's total construction requirement," he said.
The risks of poor civil engineering have been made clear in recent years.
The walkway of a dramatic new footbridge built next to the main stadium for last month's Commonwealth Games collapsed days before the event opened, injuring 30 people and becoming a national embarrassment.
Two sections of elevated metro lines in the capital also collapsed during construction in separate accidents in 2008 and 2009, killing two and five people respectively.
"There is definitely a shortage of good quality civil engineers," said Sabu Thomas, head of human resources at Delhi property developers Ansal Housing, explaining that his company trains new engineers for six months.
"It's not just a numbers issue, it's a skills issue—because most of them come here with very basic knowledge," he said.
Some private companies are trying to address the lag by tying up with universities to sponsor courses and recruit graduates.
India's largest construction firm Larsen & Toubro has started offering scholarships and jobs to IIT students.
Salaries have also begun to rise, with civil engineers who have at least three years' experience commanding 50,000 rupees (1,130 dollars) a month, compared with 15,000 five years ago, according to Thomas.
But Mahalingam, who teaches 99 civil engineers a year at IIT, said that much more needs to be done to entice the country's top students to choose construction over more lucrative careers in the IT and banking sectors.
"Until things change, we might manage some big-ticket items like the Delhi Metro with the help of international partners, but other projects will go over-budget, and the delays and safety lapses will carry on," he said.
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
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