GUWAHATI, October 8: A six-day-long Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on
“Seismic Vulnerability Assessment” was successfully conducted by the Department of Civil
Engineering, Royal School of Engineering and Technology (RSET), The Assam Royal
Global University (RGU), from 22nd to 27th September 2025 in online mode.
The programme was sponsored by the ATAL-AICTE Training and Learning Academy and aimed at enhancing the knowledge and research capabilities of faculty members and professionals in the area of earthquake engineering and structural safety, according to a Press release.
The inaugural session of the FDP began with a warm Welcome Address by Prof. (Dr.)
Shwetambara Verma, Programme Coordinator, followed by the Inaugural Address delivered
by Prof. (Dr.) Diganta Munshi, Dean, RSET, Registrar (Administration) and Director, IQAC,
RGU. The session concluded with the Presidential Remarks by Prof. (Dr.) A. K. Buragohain,
Vice Chancellor, RGU, and a Vote of Thanks by Mr. Rishikesh Daurah, Programme Co-
Coordinator.
The week-long programme witnessed extensive participation from academicians, researchers, and industry experts from across India and abroad. The technical sessions were conducted by eminent speakers from premier institutions and organizations, who shared their research insights and field experiences on various facets of seismic assessment and structural engineering.
Dr. Hemant B. Kaushik from IIT Guwahati opened the technical sessions with a talk on
“Performance of Different Building Typologies in India During Earthquakes.” Dr. S.
Varadharajan from the MAHE Group of Institutions, Manipal, followed with an insightful
session on “Importance of Intellectual Property Rights in the Field of Civil Engineering.”
Other distinguished sessions included “Structural Monitoring and Repair from Detection to
Correction” by Dr. Aparup Biswal of L&T Construction, Mumbai, and “Sustainable
Reinforced Construction Using Bamboo” by Dr. Nayan Moni Chetia from JEC, Jorhat.
Dr. Kaustab Dasgupta from IIT Guwahati delivered an in-depth lecture on “Numerical
Modelling for Seismic Soil-Structure Interaction: An Overview,” while Dr. Arjun Sil from
NIT Silchar discussed “Seismic Vulnerability of Infrastructure and Resilience Planning.”
The participants also gained valuable perspectives from Er. Binay Karna, AIT, Thailand, who
presented “Insights from the 2025 Myanmar Earthquake and Their Implications on Northeast
India.” Additional sessions featured Dr. Ketan Ragalwar from New York, USA, on “Ultra
High-Performance Concrete,” and Dr. Nirmalendu Debnath from NIT Silchar on “Structural
Health Monitoring.”
Further, Dr. Leon Raj J from CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, spoke on “Failure of Reinforced Concrete
Deep Beams,” and Dr. Romanbabu Oniam from IIT Guwahati presented his research on
“Evaluation and Retrofitting of Non-Ductile Open-Ground-Story Buildings Using Yielding
Damping Devices.”
Speaking on the significance of the FDP, Prof. (Dr.) A. K. Buragohain, Vice Chancellor of
RGU, said, “In an earthquake-prone region like Northeast India, it is crucial for our
engineers and researchers to constantly update their understanding of seismic resilience and structural safety.
Through programmes like these, Royal Global University aims to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and practical application, empowering educators to train
the next generation of engineers for a safer and more resilient future.”
The programme concluded with an interactive session where participants shared their
feedback, appreciating the diverse range of topics covered and the opportunity to engage with leading experts in the field. The Department of Civil Engineering, RSET, expressed gratitude to AICTE-ATAL for their support and reaffirmed its commitment to advancing knowledge in earthquake engineering and sustainable infrastructure development.
