This week has seen a momentous event in the progress towards the rebuilding project. After an assessment was made of the first set of estimates which had been received for construction of Phase 1 which will provide the dormitory accommodation for all 60 boys, it was decided that these were far too high and the level of costs included were unjustifiable. Consequently after consultation with colleagues in Darjeeling, Raghavan the Trust's architect provided a set of figures which can be used as a benchmark against which any further estimates will be judged.
One of the difficulties in Darjeeling is in gathering a group of professionals in whom you can have confidence to do the job properly. A meeting was held with a local architect, Ranjeeta Prasad who has been involved in various ways with the redevelopment project over the last three years or so. She has identified a reliable site engineer who has just been employed with the building of a new auditorium at Northpoint School, one of the two large prestigious private schools in the town, and together with him has offered to manage the construction work including gathering the labourers and craftsmen necessary to do the job.
On Thursday the Orphanage Redevelopment Management Board held a meeting where they considered two options, either to manage the whole construction process themselves or to invite Ranjeeta Prasad to submit a quote to do the work. After lengthy discussions they have chosen the latter path and on Monday 16th April a site meeting will be held to discuss some of the details of how construction will be organised. Materials will have to be bought in Silguri, a town on the plains some four hours travel away on the plains; these will have to brought up to Darjeeling and then unloaded on a busy main road and taken by porter down a narrow lane of fairly steep steps for about 100 yards as there is no direct vehicle access to the orphanage site. All this will add costs to the project. Before the contract is signed by Pema Bhante on behlaf of the Kripasaran Bhuddist Foundation the final approval for the plans is needed from the municipal government but it is thought this should be quickly forthcoming.
The contract will be sub-divided between the "civils" which are essentially the structural elements and the finishing items which include plumbing, floors and woodwork. Enough money has been raised for the civils to be done, especially as once work starts more donations will come in, probably in kind and it will be important for information to be given out about grades of cement and quality of bricks. Just over 50% of the total cost has been raised in India and the remainder in the UK.
It is hoped that the contract will be let very quickly and work will start at a rate which will result in the concrete slab levels being finished before the worst of the monsoon starts in early-mid June. There will then need to be a break during the rains with the project restarting in September/October with an end date by the end of December 2012. This timetable will also allow the cost of the finishing items to be raised, they amount to about 7000GBP. Fund raising is going on in India as well as in other locations.
One of the difficulties in Darjeeling is in gathering a group of professionals in whom you can have confidence to do the job properly. A meeting was held with a local architect, Ranjeeta Prasad who has been involved in various ways with the redevelopment project over the last three years or so. She has identified a reliable site engineer who has just been employed with the building of a new auditorium at Northpoint School, one of the two large prestigious private schools in the town, and together with him has offered to manage the construction work including gathering the labourers and craftsmen necessary to do the job.
On Thursday the Orphanage Redevelopment Management Board held a meeting where they considered two options, either to manage the whole construction process themselves or to invite Ranjeeta Prasad to submit a quote to do the work. After lengthy discussions they have chosen the latter path and on Monday 16th April a site meeting will be held to discuss some of the details of how construction will be organised. Materials will have to be bought in Silguri, a town on the plains some four hours travel away on the plains; these will have to brought up to Darjeeling and then unloaded on a busy main road and taken by porter down a narrow lane of fairly steep steps for about 100 yards as there is no direct vehicle access to the orphanage site. All this will add costs to the project. Before the contract is signed by Pema Bhante on behlaf of the Kripasaran Bhuddist Foundation the final approval for the plans is needed from the municipal government but it is thought this should be quickly forthcoming.
The contract will be sub-divided between the "civils" which are essentially the structural elements and the finishing items which include plumbing, floors and woodwork. Enough money has been raised for the civils to be done, especially as once work starts more donations will come in, probably in kind and it will be important for information to be given out about grades of cement and quality of bricks. Just over 50% of the total cost has been raised in India and the remainder in the UK.
It is hoped that the contract will be let very quickly and work will start at a rate which will result in the concrete slab levels being finished before the worst of the monsoon starts in early-mid June. There will then need to be a break during the rains with the project restarting in September/October with an end date by the end of December 2012. This timetable will also allow the cost of the finishing items to be raised, they amount to about 7000GBP. Fund raising is going on in India as well as in other locations.
