Parliament to give nod to Engineer's Bill soon

The Engineer's Bill to regulate the engineering profession is likely to be passed early in the next Parliament session.

"The Institution of Engineers, India (IEI), has already tabled the Engineer's Bill in Parliament and the Bill is expected to be enacted soon in the next Parliament," said O P Goel, president, IEI, and former director general, Central Public Works Department.

Unlike the chartered accountants who are regulated by an Act of Parliament and the doctors who are regulated by the Medical Council of India (MCI), there is no body to regulate the engineering profession.

Engineers are engaged in a lot of developmental work, but due to the lack of any regulator in the field, most of them do not comply with the revised norms of the National Building Code (NBC) set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Once the Bill gets enacted, only engineers registered with the IEI will be recognised. The Act will also have a code of conduct for engineers.

Apart from initiating the Engineers Bill to regulate the engineering profession in the country, IEI has recently set up a Safety and Quality in Engineering Profession Forum, which aims to network with various regional and local government bodies to promote the concept of safety and quality in engineering practice.

The forum will network with various government ministries such as those relating to railways, labour, heavy industries, defence, civil aviation, highways, urban affairs, amongst others.

It will also network with the Quality Council of India, National Safety Council, Construction Industry, Development Council and All India Council for Technical Education.

With the increasing number of fatal accidents taking place in the construction and highway sectors, the forum has decided to launch programmes to train grass-root workers in the construction sector. While focusing on safety and quality issues, the forum will also pay special attention to small and medium industries.

The institution also plays a vital role in bringing awareness about the project to inter-link rivers in the country. It is also taking up training of engineers, particularly municipal engineers, on earthquake resistant design to help build disaster-resistant structures.