Transportation Infrastructure Ic

TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE IC

Shashikanta Tripathy,
Head — Planning & Project Control,
Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway project, TI IC

A seasoned veteran of 22 years, Shashikanta Tripathy, or SKT for short, has been merrily building roads in a rich and successful 17-year tenure with L&T. “I began my journey with L&T in 2003 as Section In-charge at the Jharkhand Road project from where I moved to the Rajkot Jamnagar Vadinar Road Project as Planning in-charge for one of the packages of 56 km and then to the Amaravati-Jalgaon-MH Boarder road project as Project Control. I was then Planning in-charge of the Sambalpur Rourkela Road Project in Odisha.” His latest milestone has been the 8‑lane, greenfield Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway where he heads Planning and Project Control.

“Oh yes,” he nods, “we have had a few challenges to face like the availability of labour to handle the huge quantum of structural concrete we use at this project. Utility shifting in road projects is always a headache and another big issue was the procurement of mining approvals in Gujarat for borrow soil which forms a large component in our construction in terms of volumes.”

SKT’s solutions to overcome these challenges are extremely practical. “We have maintained round the clock operation at site. We invite and act on suggestions from the execution team to improve execution, we conduct various types of training at site for even small activities before execution and continuously followup with site, production and P&M teams.” A major challenge faced at site was to shift approximately 1,800 MT of cut-bent reinforcement steel every month since this was a greenfield project with limited access to the site for which two teams were dedicated round the clock. “We have reduced DG power consumption by placing solar panels on the boom placer cabin and other locations. By monitoring unloading time of concrete we have increased the productivity of transit mixers and by casting the concrete girders close to site, we have overcome the issue of transporting them.”

While Procube monitors daily progress, Asset Insight monitors asset utilization. “Fuel sensors have been fitted on 40 major machines to monitor fuel level differences,” adds SKT, “also equipment working is tracked in real time.”

“Having worked in the construction field, there are several instances at site when we have to take on-the-spot calls or instant decisions and people should have the flexibility to do so at project level,” advises the veteran.

Hailing from Bhadrak, Odisha, SKT loves to watch the news on TV and listen to music. “My wife, Soudamini, is a homemaker with a keen interest in cooking and teaching,” he shares, which is good news for their two children, daughter, Sneha and son, Saijeet.

Rajesh Kumar Upadhyay,
Senior Manager QA/QC, RREC

“Operational efficiency is the result of good coordination at different management levels and among the various departments at ground level,” shares Senior Manager Rajesh Kumar Upadhyay, who is cutting his teeth at his first project, the 4‑lanning of 303 km of the Rewa-Katni-Jabalpur-Lakhnadon section of the NH‑7 in Madhya Pradesh. “River sand mining was banned in MP for a period of one and half years and considering the importance of sand in road building we have been facing a huge problem,” he says. “To overcome this issue, we are using 60% manufactured sand in the PQC mixes and since it is working well, we have overcome a big issue and are confident of completing our project in time,” he smiles a winning smile.

Rajesh has been involved in several initiatives at site to enhance operational efficiency that have saved the site time, cost and resources. “Like our use of geo-composite as a filter media in RE wall construction,” mentions Rajesh, ticking off the initiatives. “Secondly, our use of a geo-cell with PCC in quarter conning of culverts/PUP/VUP, partial RE wall and structures slope protection in place of stone pitching.” Some of the project team’s other initiatives include the introduction of mechanization to remove oversize material from borrowed soil and to screen river sand to separate the pebbles and clay lumps, adding 20–25% crusher waste to the RE fill material that has improved the quality of soil and, at the same time, reduced lead and cost. “We have developed special vendors for our PRW works that has worked very well apart from regular training for supervisors, engineers and workmen,” Rajesh adds.

Digitalization has started to play a key role in improving productivity for Rajesh. “DPR collection and monitoring is entirely through ‘Procube,’ our project monitoring tool, the movement of all our vehicles is now continuously tracked through GPS and we monitor plant production with IoT (Internet of Things).”

Rajesh would like to see more leaders and less bosses at L&T Construction and “training to manage egos is very important at different levels so that a conducive environment is created in which juniors can present their ideas to the seniors without fear,” he shares seriously.

“The most memorable day of my life was when we won the RKJL project,” laughs Rajesh who hails from Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. His better half, Snehlata is a homemaker and their son, Rishabh make up his small family. “I like reading literary and spiritual books that I get time for before going to bed every night despite my busy schedule.”

- Debasis Chand,
Senior Manager QA/QC, RREC

“I would like to create a team of individuals with each one fitting in as per his or her unique capabilities to contribute towards a common goal to increase productivity manifold and deliver the best in terms of product quality,” is Senior Manager QA/QC, Debasis Chand’s wish.”

After his successful stints as Quality In-charge at the Kannur International Airport and Yadgiri-Warangal road projects, he is now hoping to realize his wish at the Bengaluru International Airport NSPR project where Debasis is involved in developing value-added mix designs, utilising cost-effective materials in concrete, asphalt, pavement mixes and creating various work method statements to defect errors. “After all,” he says, “our goal is to enhance work efficiency.”

“What is a construction job without challenges?” he grins, mentioning some of them. “It is my responsibility to synchronize all activities so that neither quality nor time are compromised and to implement a culture of quality across hierarchies.” His list of initiatives to improve operational efficiency are many. “One is of course the use of GGBS and crusher dust in the cement concrete mix and to take adequate precautions in the cement concrete pavement to prevent incidental cracks due to adverse weather conditions. Then, the use of laterite and hard rock in GSB to create a cost-effective product and deploying 3D graders and excavators at site to reduce errors.”

In terms of new initiatives, Debasis talks about the prefabricated user-friendly wind barricades deployed to lay PQC to prevent cracks and the solar systems to maintain curing tank temperature. “At BIAL, we are using an alumina-based curing compound to prevent shrinkage cracks in PQC especially in adverse climatic conditions where temperatures and wind velocities change frequently and due to the non-conformity in brush texturing, we have adopted tinning.”

Married to Umarani, the couple have been blessed with a son, Jaydish, who’s birth was a memorable moment in Debasis’s life. “My hobby is cooking, and I try and find time to try my hand at it,” he smiles.

“Digitalization is certainly the way to keep improving our operational efficiency,” declares Debasis, enumerating some of the several digital initiatives adopted at his site. “We use mobile applications to raise Work Inspection Requests, laser light beam technology for precise airport pavement line marking, GNSS Rovers in place of total station for coordination, checking and marking and an online portal, ACONEX for IR, NCR and approvals including source approvals, mix designs, drawings and method statements.”

- Durgaraj Gautam,
Manager P&M, RREC

Championing a Profit Centre initiative in RREC, Manager P&M, Durgaraj Gautam describes it as “a live example of efficiency improvement through team effort, clear vision and perseverance in a culture that I love where one can try, make mistakes that gives us the confidence to perform better the next time and succeed.” Having joined L&T in 2007, he has worked as P&M Engineer at DIAL, AVMRP, BPPRP and P&M In-charge at the KMDA Flyover project.

A man of many words, Durgaraj settles to explain the critical task that he is involved in. “Value creation is conceptualized by setting a stretched budget target for equipment operation aiming to optimize hire charges by blending owned and hired equipment guided by benchmarked productivity. We strive to maximize energy efficiency by optimizing the usage of fuel and exploring or deploying alternate energy sources like solar power and we aim to achieve this through a multi-dimensional approach of improving internal efficiency through collaborations, benchmarking, digitalization and advanced analytics.”

“I now sense a cultural shift with the buzz shifting towards the quantity of output produced vis a vis the cost incurred,” he elaborates, “with projects seeking solutions to optimize energy. The engagement level of owned equipment has visibly increased as the average deployment of rental equipment has decreased. We are committed to exploit this momentum and continue innovating for operational excellence by delivering cost-effective, time-bound, quality solutions powered by digitalization,” which, he agrees, has been the chief contributor to this success. “Digitalization has thrown up data from across the country through Asset Insight while custom made algorithms and advanced analytics on this IoT data have improved efficiency. Linking plants, earth moving equipment, powering equipment, weighbridges and analyzing their run patterns, start-stop-idling time, cycle time and turnaround analysis have been the major differentiators,” he emphasizes.

Almost all his memorable moments are work-related like commissioning the HMP 200 TPH at AVMRP when only two years fresh out of college, operating the hydraulic jack for a 900 ton bow string launching at the MAA Flyover in Kolkata or conceiving and developing PPA of a Solar Plant in the OpEx Model, a first of its kind in India; a fact that his wife, Bishnu Chettri, who is a finance professional, and son, Advit may not wholly agree to.

“There is a wealth of information, experience and solutions implemented by each employee and although business may flourish or subside, this accumulated intellectual property will always give us an edge and we need to find a way to tap this information and deploy it wherever possible,” says Durgaraj seriously. “A lesson learnt once should always be shared.”

Abhinav Agrawal,
Construction Manager — Civil, TI IC

Like a true efficiency champion, Abhinav Agrawal, right at the outset, describes the two OPEX initiatives he is involved with at the Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway project (MNEP). “The first one is ‘Clear the ROW’ and the second, ‘Smart Invoicing Technique’ and with these two initiatives we were able to invoice just after one month of NTP and achieve our first milestone a full one and half months ahead.” His other major focus has been to ‘generate fronts’ that is vital for a fast track project. “To achieve this before NTP, we cleared and grubbed the entire site that helped identify areas where land had not been acquired well before hand and a clear picture of the areas to be taken up for smooth work progress.”

Since his entry into L&T in 2008, Abhinav has been literally on the road starting with his first project, the Vadodara-Bharuch road project, where he was MIS Engineer. “Thereafter, I moved to the Ahmedabad-Viramgam-Mallya Road project, where I was responsible for all planning activities for a particular package, post which I was part of the Tendering team and subsequently a part of the Project Control Team, both at Mumbai Headquarters. Presently I am in the Mumbai Nagpur Project as Planning Head.”

A major challenge that the MNEP project team face is the availability of earth and water. “A major portion of the project runs through a drought-hit zone and water for construction is a major concern for us,” Abhinav explains. “We have therefore tied up with the local Sewage Treatment Plants for water.” The project requires earth to the tune of some 1.5 crore cum. “To meet this huge requirement, we have extensively surveyed government lands to extract the maximum quantity from those areas and also tied up with the local irrigation departments to deepen the existing dams and canals in the vicinity of the project.”

Another initiative to enhance efficiency has been to deploy subcontractors for small stretches of 3 km. “By deploying approximately 20 earthwork contractors along the stretch, we were able to complete the formation works, which in turn ensured fronts for top layers like GSB, DLC and PQC where productivity of owned assets like batching plants and pavers were involved.”

Abhinav’s native place is Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh and he loves to play chess and watch cricket. His wife, Poonam, was a lecturer in an engineering college though now a homemaker looking after their son, Poornav. He mentions his marriage and joining L&T as special moments to cherish.

“Optimum operational efficiency is maintained by the way systems are driven at L&T,” he says with conviction, “but given the opportunity, I would like to create a data base of construction workers at cluster level to ease mobilization of skilled workmen at site.”

Sarwan Singh Shekhawat,
Manager (P&M), RREC

Sarwan Singh Shekhawat (SSS) proudly says that he is working on one of India’s largest road projects, four-laning 287.34 km of the Rewa Katni Jabalpur Lakhnadon section of NH‑7 in Madhya Pradesh. He is also proud of crossing some wonderful milestones during his 12-year journey with L&T having successfully completed four prestigious road projects: Vadodara-Bharuch, Ahmedabad Viramgam Maliya, Beawar Pali Pindwara and Kandla Mundra. “The idea of controlling operational costs was a big challenge but I am proud and feel lucky to have been chosen by the management for this huge exercise,” he shares in which by taking electrical connections at 11 camps that are equipped with 33 kV EB supply and more than 27 LT connections capacity with more than 4.8 MVA, “we have saved approximately INR 41 Crores in terms of diesel and other O&M expenditures.”

Electrical energy, he says, has been universally recognized as a critical input for economic growth that is dependent on the availability of cost-effective and environmentally benign energy sources. “India is the world’s 5th largest energy consumer, accounting for 4% of global energy consumption and therefore there is a huge opportunity to be more efficient in our energy consumption.” SSS has been involved in various initiatives to increase operational efficiency at site. “With temporary electrical connections at various locations we have done away with DG sets and power generators; by assessing the exact supply voltage for uninterrupted power based on the site operation and function, we have reduced contract demand time that depends on the load condition and by shifting poles, transformers and overhead lines we have provided a front for execution.” Dealing with local government bodies and complying with their statutory requirements have been challenging for SSS hence he is delighted about his good relations with the MPEB officials, external electricity experts, electrical Inspectors and ‘A’ class contractors to procure various approvals and sanctions more easily.

Hailing from Bikaner, Rajasthan, SSS says, “left to me, I would like to reduce the long working hours that reduces one’s efficiency but give them more the time to rejuvenate, refresh, release tensions, and spend quality time with their family to be more productive and efficient.” His wife, Suman, is a homemaker taking care of the education of his daughter, Kratikka and son, Bhuvnesh and during his free time, SSS loves to listen to old melodies of Kishore, Lata and Rafi. Being a topper in a success story writing contest for his entry on ‘Effective utilization of electrical power’ is something he remembers fondly.

“For a competitive edge, we have to build task forces for every project which will help us enhance our operational efficiency,” he stresses.

- Prabhu Mudaliyar,
Assistant Manager (P&M)

There is a disarming honesty to Assistant Manager, Prabhu Mudaliyar, when he shrugs his shoulders and declares that everything at L&T is so perfect that he couldn’t find anything to change or be changed. Being posted at the Bengaluru International Airport was a blessing in disguise for Prabhu for not only did he get an opportunity to work on a challenging airport project but more so because he was able to return home to his native Bengaluru after being posted in other parts of India for 13 years.

“The high point for me at BIAL has been the hydro-seeding (mulching) machine that we have developed in house,” he shares enthusiastically. It is obviously a subject close to his heart for he takes pains to explain the process. “Hydro-seeding or turfing is the last activity often involving huge areas to be covered quickly, so time is always a constraint. The traditional method is timeconsuming and at BIAL with 12 lakh sq. m of area to be hydro seeded in just 60 days, we realized that we could only achieve it with mechanization. Moreover, there was only one vendor with this machine in the market that was imported costing INR 10 lakhs. That’s how we decided to fabricate a new hydro-seeding machine. We did it for just 4 lakhs and with it our productivity has zoomed!” He says mimicking an airplane taking off. “It is simple in fabrication, effective in operation with a motor coupled with a reduction gearbox that drives the auger in the compartment where the mulch material is mixed homogenously.

Speed is maintained to avoid spillage and damage to the seeds.” The auger blade is designed to carry the mulch materials and mixed proportionately with water. The discharge pump with motor is a specialized one of a non-clogging type that can discharge high viscosity of materials. “We have the option for either an engine driven or motor driven machine but have opted for the motor driven one; it is also maintenance free.”

While returning to his native place in Bengaluru was his most memorable moment, he is equally delighted to spend more time with his wife, Kavithasri, who is a homemaker, and find the opportunity to follow his many hobbies like cricket, playing chess and reading. “While traveling to site, I manage to catch up on the news by reading newspapers, articles or watching web-based serials.”

“A place where you are free to learn anything and everything,” is how he describes the work culture at L&T Construction. “The support from the seniors is always there and such kind of support gives you the freedom to think laterally and the confidence to take up new ideas to implement,” he says, sounding very sure of himself and the company he keeps.

- Gopal Kumar,
Assistant Construction Manager (Mechanical), RREC

He is a good example of the strong wave of digitalization that is sweeping across L&T Construction. He is Gopal Kumar, in charge of driving digital initiatives, their implementation and monitoring at the Delhi International Airport site. His airport connection continues because, “earlier I was at the Bengaluru International Airport site taking care of all the digital initiatives,” he informs.

The challenges he faces at his present site are like those he had faced at the BIAL site too. “Of course, there are challenges,” he nods, “like lack of interest of people in new technologies because they are unaware of their (technologies) benefits. Then there are issues of site coordination, continuous monitoring to ensure that the system is functioning smoothly and forming a strong system to put the system in place and run it efficiently.”

To the query as to how he has contributed to improve efficiency at site, his answer quite predictably is about the slew of digital solutions that have been introduced. “One new technology that we used at site is 3D machine control that has doubled productivity and made the process less human dependent. We have taken digital solutions like GPS to continuously monitor resources which has greatly improved our work productivity. We had introduced 3D machine control and GPS rover first at BIAL with extremely good results.” He further mentions the importance of proper training for site engineers to understand and utilize the technology to extract its maximum benefits and the importance of proper coordination with site team to plan targets, discuss and evolve methods to achieve them. “We are using 3D machine control in motor graders, excavators, pavers, GPS rover, GPS tracking for all vehicles and all these systems are improving our productivity greatly.”

On the personal front, Gopal hails from Bairgania, Bihar and his most memorable moment was getting married to the girl he loved, Priyanshi Gupta, who is making Gopal’s lovely home. He obviously likes to spend his free time with her and when he finds time tries his hand at cooking at home.

“If I ever wanted to change something at L&T Construction, I will definitely focus on how we can improve our processes through digitalization,” he asserts. “Over the past couple of years, I can feel a change that is because of this digital transformation and therefore I believe our future is certainly in going digital.” Well said by a digital convert.