4 Reasons GFRG is Not More Popular in India

10 June 2019

Despite being a low cost option with seemingly multiple benefits, GFRG is not that popular in India. Why is this low cost construction method not very popular with a population that is obsessed with affordable homes? Well, there are specific reasons and we are listing them below.

• People and their mindset - In India, people have a conventional mindset which does not allow anything new to enter their lives or get appreciated without getting proven first. Because it's an unknown quantity, they would prefer to actually use the conventional building methods over GFRG which to them, is not a safe and reliable option. Basically people do not trust anything new. So it takes a lot of time for a material like GFRG even though proven internationally, to get the trust of the common Indian person. So despite being interested in low cost construction options the mindset of Indian people is not very open. This is one major hurdle for new technologies such as GFRG even though they are catering to people looking for low cost construction.
• Lack of trained professionals - being a completely different method of construction compared to conventional construction methods, constructing a GFRG panel based building needs trained professionals. But due to the lack of popularity, there are very few professionals well trained in this discipline.
• Transportation issues - Unlike in Kerala, which has a plant for GFRG panels in Kochi, transportation to the north and Central parts of India is relatively costly. So it is not ideal for people in North and Central India to construct GFRG homes unless there are plants which can create GFRG panels closer to them.
• Availability of large space/usage of crane - GFRG homes need little bit of space at least 30 meter road and good frontage without aerial obstructions to raise GFRG panels. Such space is not easily available in cities and due to this, cranes also needs to be in use which can make it slightly costlier. More importantly, people when they hear about this, tend to think it is going to be a costlier proposition than initially thought. So they tend to go back on the decision and not choose GFRG despite being significantly less costly.