Masons attend a workshop organised by Ultra Tech Cement on Friday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Sept. 15: It was definitely an unusual gathering.

The occasion was the mega masons’ seminar, a conclave of masons, organised by the Aditya Birla Group to educate them in the art of “construction” in a scientific manner with the aid of modern technology.

The conclave was a precursor to the setting up of the region’s first institute to train masons.

All the participants, clad in yellow T-shirts and black trousers, were overwhelmed with enthusiasm of getting an opportunity to hone their skills in a collective manner.

Experts hailed the event as the first of its kind get-together in the entire region. “The main objective of the seminar was to train and develop the skills of the masons, who are the backbone of the construction industry,” said Sandip Das, deputy manager of the Aditya Birla Group’s Ultra Tech Cement.

“Most of the masons in the city never received any formal training in the profession and are working with their experience. Hence, at times, faults are detected in their work,” added Das.

The Ultra Tech Cement is also planning set up an institute in the city to transform them into world class masons by perfecting their skills, he said.

According to a survey conducted by Ultra Tech Cement, the city would require two lakh new flats in the next five years. “To fulfil the demand, training masons is a must. So, we will request the state government to allot us a plot of land to set up the institute,” said Mahavir Prasad Jain, a leading city-based dealer of the cement brand and president of Kamrup Chamber of Commerce.

“Once the institute is set up, a big work force can be created here by training the not-so-educated section of the city’s population. This will also generate self-employment opportunities for them,” added Jain.

The participants also welcomed the plans to set up an institute to train them.

“I learnt the work from my father and have been working as a mason for the past 10 years. Formal training will help people like us do flawless work,” said 28-year-old Ratul Islam.

“Formal training would help any mason, as construction work is no child’s business. Earlier, I was a helper and have turned into a full-fledged mason only three years ago,” Prabin Nath added.

A quiz programme on construction was the highlight of the evening.

Considering the rapid all-round development in the infrastructure and housing sector across the region, Aditya Birla Group, one of the major cement producers in Asia, is also planning to set up a plant in the city.