The Construction Development Board (CDB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC) in India to establish an institutional linkage on February 1.

According to the director of CDB, Phub Rinzin, the MoU would facilitate holistic development of Bhutan’s construction industry and create linkage among relevant sectors in Bhutan with CIDC.

The MoU focuses on collaboration between the two organisations in four areas – to share expertise and experience in the areas of best construction practices, technologies, green buildings, quality assurance, management and control in building construction; to organise conferences, seminars, workshops, visits and meetings to raise awareness and actions for the development of construction industry; to operate joint training, on the job training, education programmes to raise quality and productivity in the construction sector; and to encourage and facilitate exchange programmes like field attachments between local contractors and Indian contractors to share and transfer knowledge in construction methodologies and construction technologies.

A press release from CDB stated that the two institutions would frame action plans to implement the MoU. “The focal officers of both organisations will be responsible for overseeing the implementation and sustaining the linkage created.”

It also states that if required, the MoU is subject to renewal after two years.

Works and human settlement minister, Dorji Choden, said the policies coming up in the ministry such as the Human Settlement Act and housing policy requires the involvement of construction sector in one way or another.

She said that the MoU would support CDB, which is now functioning as an autonomous agency and is trying to restructure and remodel their function to look at the construction industry in totality. “The MoU is timely and is going to support CDB in a number of ways in their area of work. The ministry can also benefit in the overall intervention.”

CIDC director general, PR Swarup (PhD), said CIDC would ensure that the outcome of the MoU is not only useful to Bhutan but also a role model for other countries.

The MoU is part of CDB’s aim to create institutional linkages with five similar institutions in the region – Construction Institute of Thailand (CIT), CIDC in India, Construction Industry Authority of Philippines (CIAP), Building Construction Authority (BCA) in Singapore, and Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) in Malaysia.

CDB would also sign MoUs with CIT and CIAP this year.

Karma Cheki

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