The Department of Handicrafts, Textiles & Coir in collaboration with The Regional Office of The Textile Commissioner in Mumbai organised a seminar on Geotextiles in Panaji. Geotextiles is a new area and it has a lot of applications in construction, mining, agriculture and aerospace.
PANAJI
Geotextiles are basically fabrics, which have the ability to separate, reinforce, filter or drain when used with soil. During this seminar, a number of industrialists and senior officials from government gave detailed presentations to the audience.
Speaking on the occasion, Arvind V Bugde, director, department of handicrafts, textile & coir, said, "Our department has issued a circular to all departments of the state government to make use of Geotextiles for construction of roads, lining of water reservoirs and other infrastructural works."
Bugde continued, "We have huge quantities of coconuts in Goa, which could be used for manufacturing coil and fibre, but that's not happening. With the use of Geotextiles, natural fibre will be used for many purposes. As of now, there are not many users of Geotextiles in Goa. But, a lot of people will show interest in producing Geotextiles in the state once people start using them."
Officials from several departments of the state government were also present during the seminar.
Naresh Kumar, director and officer-in-charge of Regional Office of the Textile Commissioner, Navi Mumbai, said, "Geotextiles are defined as high performance textiles. They find applications not only in clothing but also in areas like medicine, agriculture, infrastructure, automotive, aerospace, shipping, packaging and manufacturing. Goa has sea, rivers and mountains. There is wide scope for promotion of Geotextiles for applications in bridges, mines, railways and ports in the state."
