Engineers Day 2025: Hailing Civil Engineers in Indian Real Estate

My first site visit still provides me with a memory of the smell of wet cement. I was a newly graduated kid at that time- nervous, but excited.

I was standing in front of steel rods and shuttering and I realized that this was not all about concrete and bricks. It was about shaping lives. Being a graduate in civil engineering, I aspired to construct some of the best structures in the town. However, it was not long before reality informed me otherwise. Even construction of a small house, an apartment, or a single toilet is a serious business. It carries responsibility.

It influences the pride of the residents and the comfortness. It is not as smooth as they portray in movies. And yet, that is the beauty in it. Civil engineering is not only about building buildings, but a future, trust, and hope. It is then when I realized that this is not just a profession. It is a responsibility.

In India we celebrate Engineer's Day on the 15th of every September. This is a day of commemoration of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya who is one of the greatest civil engineers in our country. He was of the view that engineers were not only to solve problems but also to forge opportunities. His contribution to dams, irrigation and flood control remains an inspiration. For those of us in construction, his legacy is a constant reminder that our work lasts for generations.

"On National Engineers’ Day, we at Action Construction Equipment celebrate the spirit of engineering innovation driving India’s Techade. The construction equipment industry is undergoing a profound transformation, with technologies like automation, electrification, and telematics redefining the way we build. Through continuous investment in R&D, our advanced digital solutions ranging from real-time telematics and IoT-based monitoring to predictive maintenance and intelligent fleet management, are enabling smarter, safer, and more efficient operations. With features like remote-control capabilities, load monitoring systems, and sensor-based collision avoidance, our equipment is designed to enhance both operator safety and job site productivity. Looking ahead, we are actively advancing digital twin technology to further revolutionize performance optimization and training, strengthening our role in building India’s infrastructure future." states Ankit Goel, Chief Technology Officer, Action Construction Equipment (ACE)

Market Outlook: Facts, Figures & Voices

India’s civil engineering and construction sector is entering one of its historical periods of greatest growth. The construction industry is currently near its peak, valued at USD $687 billion (2024), and is projected to grow near double to approximately USD $1.56 trillion by 2034, growing at an 8.6 percent compounding annual growth rate (CAGR). In rupee, the sector is projected to grow from approximately Rs. 22.7 trillion in 2024 to Rs. 39.1 trillion in 2029. ICRA estimates that construction sector revenues will grow at 7-7.5 percent in FY26, mostly due to public sector infrastructure-related spending, urbanization, and multiple infrastructure projects pipelines in highways, metro rails, and water supply for mega city metropolitan planning afterward. The sector also has an excellent order-book-to-revenue ratio of almost 3.5x, which means healthy economize visibility for at least the next several years.

There are identifiable factors driving this trend; India is urbanizing increasingly faster than it has ever done before and also needs to build an additional 700-900 million square meters of commercial and residential real estate each year before 2030, as noted by Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs. Through government programs to create Smart Cities Mission, Bharatmala, and PMAY (Housing for All), there is a significant pool of investments coming into urban development and renewal of rural infrastructures.

Globally too, civil engineering remains one of the most resilient professions, with the construction market contributing nearly 9 percent to India’s GDP, making it the second-largest employer after agriculture.

Industry leaders are optimistic about this trajectory. “If India is going to be a developed country by 2047, infrastructure will be a vital component in our ambition,” says Hardeep Singh Puri, underlining the strategic importance of the sector. Arvind Garg, Senior VP & Head of Construction & Mining Machinery at L&T, notes that the company is “deploying the right ingredients to achieve this growth,” with investments in cleaner, digital-ready technology and better project execution capabilities. L&T’s Chairman, S. N. Subrahmanyan, highlights the surge in sustainable infrastructure projects: “Thanks to our early start and investments, we have built an organization uniquely placed to create sustainable energy infrastructure. Multiple opportunities are visible.”

For young engineers, it's an exciting time. The market is hungry for talent that is able to apply digital project management techniques, digital modeling and design and incorporate innovative green building and sustainable products into real projects. The current challenge for senior professionals is to be able to adapt to this revolution of balancing cost control, sustainable speed and innovative adapted or recycled (upcycled) design. The industry has spoken with clarity!! The future is for those who can do it faster, smarter and greener.

"The future of infrastructure lies at the intersection of engineering excellence and digital innovation. Engineering at Rodic is a promise to turn complexity into clarity and deliver infrastructure for people and progress. We are deeply committed to embedding the spirit of deep tech innovation across all our projects. With our recently launched subsidiary Rodic Digital & Advisory, This subsidiary positions us to scale specialized digital offerings while preserving Rodic’s engineering heritage. we have hardwired deep tech into every assignment, allowing us to collect, verify, and act on real-time signals across design, build, and operations. On this National Engineers Day, we salute engineers, the visionary problem solvers whose creativity and dedication continue to build the foundation of India’s growth. Their unwavering commitment inspires us to push the boundaries of innovation, driving smarter, safer, and more sustainable infrastructure solutions. As India steps into its ‘Techade,’ engineers will be at the forefront, steering the nation towards a future defined by excellence, resilience, and technology-enabled progress," states Ajit Kumar, Vice President, Rodic Digital & Advisor. 

Also Read: India's Real Estate Market to Hit $5-10 Trillion by 2047