RCF to produce Rapidwall to reduce cost of housing

Mumbai, Jan 3: With a view to providing affordable housing, Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizer (RCF) will use Australian technology of Rapid Building System (RBS) to manufacture wall panels to significantly reduce the cost of building a house.

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizer, Steel, Ram Vilas Paswan yesterday laid the foundation stone of the Rapidwall plant at Trombay here. RCF intends to start the commercial production of Rapidwall by year 2008 by forming a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company, where RCF will be a major shareholder. In the very first year of operation the company intends to produce 14 lakh square meter of rapid wall panel with an investment of Rs 80 crore. Rapidwall, which can replace lorry load of conventional bricks has application in housing, SEZ and IT parks and even reduceS the time of building walls.

U S Jha, Chairman, RCF said, ''Use of Rapidwall will cut the construction cost and time by about 30 per cent and 50 per cent respectively. It is an alternative and efficient building material''.

Developed in Australia, RBS have been able to producing the load bearing building panels called Rapidwall panels, which have been used for internal walls of 62 storey buildings.

RCF engaged in the manufacture of chemical fertilizer and industry chemicals, produces phospho-gypsum as a by-product. The phospho-gypsum will be used to build Rapidwall panels.

This RBS technology has been tested in China, Australia and Japan.The technology has been tested by IIT and has been also approved by Building Material Technology Promotion Council of the Government of India for construction of up to 10 storey load bearing house.

UNI