Rajinder Kumar Bhasin elected as President of the Indian Society for Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling Technology
Having worked for a long period in India on Rock Engineering problems, with a focus on Tunnelling, Rajinder was elected President of the Indian Society for Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling Technology (ISRMTT) on October 8, 2024, in New Delhi.
Rajinder (in the middle, bottom row) with board members of ISRMT during a workshop on Norwegian Method of Tunnelling.
The Indian Society for Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling Technology (ISRMTT) was formed in 1992 and has over 2,300 national and international members. Several key organizations in India, including the Central Water Commission, the National Hydropower Corporation Ltd (which is equivalent to Statkraft in Norway), and Indian Railways, which is one of the world’s largest employers with 1.4 million employees, have representation in the Society. Rajinder says that one of his aims will be to incorporate Norwegian Tunnelling Practice into the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) code.
Rajinder is happy to accept this position and says that it is likely to pave the way for even more of NGI’s involvement in upcoming tunnel projects in India. Currently, more than 100 km of tunnels are constructed in India each year to upgrade its infrastructure, and NGI has been working commercially for both the road and railway authorities in India.
The Indian tunnelling society helps with the dissemination, advising, and implementation of new technology for effective output at minimal cost. This contributes to sustainable infrastructure development and cost savings. NGI has recently assisted Indian Railways (RVNL) in implementing some of the principles of Norwegian Tunnelling Technology in their rail tunnel project in the Himalayas and subsequently received a new commercial contract for predicting rock behavior ahead of the face in a TBM tunnel.
NGI congratulates Rajinder and wishes him success in this position.
