ACC and ALCON Anil Counto Enterprise partner to launch a state-of-the-art Green Building Centre in Kundaim
Reinforcing its commitment to sustainable construction and a greener future for India, ACC Limited, India’s leading manufacturer of cement and ready-mix concrete, along with its long-term partner Alcon – Anil Counto Enterprises inaugurated its newest state-of-the-art Green Building Centre (GBC) and Research and Development Centre in Kundaim on October 21, 2018. The purpose of a Green Building Centre is to create social, environmental and financial impact in developing cities in India.
The Centre was inaugurated by Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Government of India and Ramkrishna Dhavalikar, Minister of Public Works, Government of Goa in the presence of Neeraj Akhoury, MD & CEO, ACC Limited and Anil Counto, Chairman & Managing Director, Alcon – Anil Counto Enterprises. Also present at the inaugural ceremony were senior government officials, architects and engineers.
Situated at Kundaim Industrial Estate, the aesthetically designed unit is built across four acres of land area with the most advanced state-of-the-art technology equipped to produce 5000 blocks and 6000 other concrete products per day, aiming at supporting Goa and its neighbouring rural and semi-urban areas. Local manpower has been trained to produce various types of blocks and concrete products to be used in walling, paving and other solutions. These will be prepared under strict quality measures using locally sourced building materials and reusing industrial waste materials under sustainable construction practices.
A fully equipped in-house Research and Development (R&D) Centre and a Quality Control laboratory will ensure that high-quality standards are maintained. The R&D facility will ensure that various by-products and industrial waste is put to use in a very constructive way. Neeraj Akhoury, Managing Director and CEO, ACC Limited said, “We are glad to launch our newest Green Building Centre in Goa. ACC’s Green Building Centres promote sustainable construction, low-cost housing development and utilisation of resources while conserving the ecosystem. The communities benefit from our unique business model and the training and employment of thousands of small-scale construction workers. We would like to thank Suresh Prabhu, Ramkrishna Dhavalikar and Anil Counto for their support. We believe that the relationship between ACC and its GBC partners will create many opportunities for the people of Goa as well as make the practice of sustainable construction more widespread.”
Anil Counto, Chairman of ALCON said, “We are happy to partner with ACC once again for this Green Building Centre venture. As partners, we have had a long and sustained relationship in cement and ready-mix concrete.” On the new R&D facility, he stated, “We are working on the properties of different industrial waste and by-products and different minerals at micro and nano level and exploring their application to different products, perhaps as a filler material or to increase the strength as well as the performance parameters of those products.”
He also spoke passionately about the importance of research and development and urged the gathering to look at setting up R&D facilities in their campus or premises to upgrade their respective products. Every GBC is a modern facility ensuring production excellence, providing durable materials to customers at reduced application costs, supported by quality service. Apart from providing rural and semi-urban housing solutions, the project is aligned with the Indian government’s vision of sanitation and the Prime Minister’s ‘Clean India’ Campaign by helping beneficiaries build superior quality modular toilets. Model toilets and houses can also be constructed, as per the Government of India designs. With these products, local bodies and panchayats in Goa will also gain insights on how to significantly improve their village infrastructure. The overarching aim is to facilitate the construction of one million affordable houses and toilets over the next ten years
