In the present scenario, sustainable infrastructure development has become a new paradigm for the technological, economic, and social progress of a nation. Infrastructure development in open and underground spaces for river valley projects, railways, highways, and other large civil structures poses innumerable challenges during the design, and construction stage. Appropriate application of engineering geology and geotechniques helps in understanding the mechanism of geotechnical problems beforehand and problems can be tackled effectively to prevent time and cost over-run as well as safety of men and machinery. Since its independence, the country has achieved several milestones in infrastructure development. With the accelerated development of infrastructure projects in far-flung areas, the geotechnical challenges have also increased manifold as evident from recent catastrophic landslides and collapse especially in the Himalayan region during Monsoon. Under these circumstances, the role of engineering geoscientists and geotechnical engineers has become more crucial in providing site-specific solutions to critical geotechnical problems.

ISEG has emerged as the flag bearer in the dissemination of developments in this domain since 1965. In the tradition of organizing brainstorming conferences/seminars by ISEG on geotechnical aspects of various infrastructure projects, an international conference EGCON 2021 was successfully organized from 9-11 December 2021 through a virtual platform keeping given the prevailing pandemic for the last two years. Now with renewed zeal, I invite you to participate in EGCON 2022 which will be held in Kolkata through physical mode on 16-17 November 2022. EGCON 2022 plans to deliberate upon critical engineering geology and geotechnical perspectives in tackling geological and geotechnical challenges for the safe and sustainable development of infrastructures. I take this opportunity to invite geologists, civil engineers, geophysicists, geotechnical engineers, mining engineers, academicians, instrumentation engineers, software developers, research scholars, and other professionals to contribute technical papers and for attending the conference.

I feel privileged and delighted in informing you about the EGCON 2022, scheduled to be held during 16-17 November 2022 in Kolkata. With the response from the Scientific community and grand successes of the earlier four Conferences in the EGCON Series, the ISEG is organising, the fifth, the EGCON 2022 in physical mode again in the City of Joy – Kolkata, India. As per the legacy of the Society, the ISEG will again be providing a vibrant platform for knowledge sharing and capacity building by organising EGCON 2022 and also to deliberate upon recent developments/trends in the field of surveys, investigations, and challenges related to infrastructure development including power and communication projects, particularly to reduce the geological uncertainties and geo-hazards and environment-related issues relevant to sustainable development.

In the present natural and conceptual changing scenario, as the pump storage power projects are being preferred over river valley hydroelectric projects, communication tunnels are being constructed in place of surface transport facilities, and several Geohazards like a landslide floods earthquakes, etc. and other environment-related problems are being witnessed due to prevailing climate changes, the EGCON 2022 will provide an intellectual forum to discuss all the issues for exploring ideas about their redressal.

After EGCON 2018 and a break of three years, EGCON 2022 is providing an excellent opportunity for all of us to meet physically at Kolkata between 16-17 November 2022 at the Event for expressing and exchanging our scientific ideas and rejoice ourselves. I cordially invite professionals, academicians, researchers, and students from India and abroad involved in the investigation, construction, mining, and infrastructure development works to attend the EGCON- 2022 in large numbers and contribute technical papers for making the event a grand success.