CSIR-CRRI and the Geosynthetics Society have opened a two-day symposium on geosynthetics for highways and railways in New Delhi.
A two-day National Symposium on “Geosynthetics for Performance Enhancement and Distress Mitigation in Highways and Railways” commenced at the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) Auditorium in New Delhi. Jointly organised by CSIR-CRRI and the Geosynthetics Society, Pune, the event brings together policymakers, infrastructure authorities, geotechnical specialists and industry experts to discuss engineering solutions for national highways, high-speed rail lines and mountain corridors.
Ms Minimol Korulla, Vice President of the Geosynthetics Society, Pune, opened the session by outlining the symposium’s goals, stressing the need to standardise field practices and adopt advanced geosynthetic materials. Dr Chalumuri Ravi Sekhar, Director of CSIR-CRRI, said geosynthetics had become core design imperatives for sustainable and resilient transportation corridors in India. Prof G.L. Sivakumar Babu, President of the Indian Geotechnical Society and Chairman of the CSIR-CRRI Research Council, spoke on integrating geosynthetic applications with resilient engineering practices, while Guest of Honour Shri Vivek Bhushan Sood, Executive Director, Railway Board, addressed Indian Railways’ modernisation initiatives. Chief Guest Shri Amarendra Kumar, Director of the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, spoke on the use of geosynthetic ground engineering solutions in challenging terrains, particularly for retaining structures. The inaugural session closed with felicitations and a vote of thanks proposed by Dr K. Ravinder, Head, International Liaison and Training, CSIR-CRRI.
Day 1 technical sessions covered mainstreaming reinforced soil walls in India through policy and best practices, with a panel moderated by Prof Ashish Juneja of IIT Bombay featuring experts from NHAI, MoRTH, IIT Gandhinagar, CSIR-CRRI and G Cube Consulting Engineers LLP. A separate session on reinforced soil wall case studies was chaired by Dr Ratnakar Mahajan of Maccaferri Environmental Solutions, with lectures from IIT Bombay, CSIR-CRRI, B&S Engineering Consultants and G R Infraprojects. A third session, chaired by Mr Vivek Kapadia of IIT Gandhinagar, examined geosynthetic design in high-speed rail systems and vibration isolation using closed-cell polymeric foams.
Day 2, scheduled for September 8, 2026, will continue the rail infrastructure session under Mr Vivek Kapadia, with case studies from Dr Apoorva Aggarwal (Geoquest India), Dr Ratnakar Mahajan (Maccaferri), Mr Shailesh Garg (TechFab India Industries) and Mr Suraj Vedpathak (Strata Geosystems India). Further sessions will cover sustainable pavement stabilisation, chaired by Shri Saurabh Vyas of TechFab, and ground engineering solutions using geosynthetics, chaired by Ms Shabana Khan of Strata. Prof David Frost, President of the Geosynthetics Institute and a professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, will deliver an online lecture on lifecycle considerations for geosynthetics in transport infrastructure. The day will close with a panel discussion on ground improvement challenges and innovations, moderated by Mr Atanu Adhikari of Geoquest and featuring Dr Anil Dixit, Dr Prashanth Vangla, Prof G.L. Sivakumar Babu, Mr Sandeep Sahu and Mr Himanshu Kotak.
Source: Press Information Bureau
