Conference attendees DFI of India Conference in Bengaluru A conference on “Deep Foundation Techno- logies for Infrastructure Development in India” (DFI-India 2015 Conference) was held at the J N Tata Auditorium, National Seminar Complex, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru from September 29-30. The two-day event was preceded by a one-day workshop on piled-raft foundation systems. It was organized by DFI of India, in association with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru; Indian Geotechnical Society Bangalore Chapter; and the ASCE- India Section. Professor G. L. Sivakumar Babu of the department of civil engineering, IISc, was the chairman of the conference and welcomed the guests, keynote speakers, exhibitors and delegates to the inauguration ceremony held the morning of September 29. Vijay Kumar Dhir, director of projects, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, was the chief guest. Professor B.R.S. Murthy, retired professor of civil engineering, IISc, and chairman of the task force for construction quality, Government of Karnataka, was the guest of honor. Professor M. Sudhakar Rao, chairman, department of civil engineering, IISC Bangalore, was the presiding officer of the ceremony. Other dignitaries on the dais were James A. Morrison, past president of DFI and member of the DFI Board of Trustees; Dr. K.S. Rama Krishna, member of the Board of Trustees of DFI and chairman of DFI of India; Jyri Niskanen, head of sales and foundation equipment, Junttan Oy, Finland; and Dr. P. Raghuveer Rao, senior scientific officer, department of civil engineering, IISc Bangalore, and the conference organizing secretary. Guest Speakers In his inaugural address, V. K. Dhir spoke eloquently about the urgent need to bring Indian standards and specifications on par with the international standards and specifications. This will require the 40 • DEEP FOUNDATIONS • NOV/DEC 2015 Dr. P. Raghuveer Rao, conference organizing secretary engineers who design, plan and prepare the drawings, specifications and contract conditions to carefully study the geological and geotechnical features, variations of the ground and thei r impact on the constructability aspects and contract conditions. It will also help the contractors to continuously upgrade the knowledge and skills of the executing teams of engineers, supervisors and equipment operators so that the safety, quality and productivity match with the best in the world. He emphasized the importance of such a hol i s t ic approach in the implementation of all infrastructure projects and appreciated the role of DFI of India and IISc in bringing all these stakeholders together at the conference. Professor B.R.S. Murthy spoke about the importance of industry and academia interaction and how they supplement and complement each other in all major civil engineering projects including calibration, critical testing, complex analysis and proof design. James Morrison, while explaining the activities of DFI worldwide, gave assurance to extend support to DFI of India in its efforts to disseminate knowledge of the latest foundation technologies to the civil engineering community in India and to improve skills in the design and construction of deep foundations and underground structures. He also stated that DFI would be happy to consider granting funds to research projects of practical value to the deep foundations industry in India and scholarships to students engaged in such research. Foundation Design in Bengaluru Foundations transfer the loads of the structures to the earth. Heavier structures require deeper foundations, and sometimes, the site may not be suitable for transferring such heavy loads. In such
