HEALING, HELPING, HAND-HOLDING – B&F IC HAS BEEN FIGHTING COVID-19 IN MYRIAD WAYS!

As the world combats the pandemic, project teams across B&F IC have come together and found extraordinary and myriad ways to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on their staff, employees, immediate stakeholders, and the general public.

Strengthening the hands of governments by enhancing healthcare facilities

Across the globe, perhaps the most beleaguered have been the medical fraternity as they fearlessly fight the pandemic at the front lines to heal and save lives. B&F’s Hospital BU has stepped in to strengthen the hands of the Central and various State governments to convert functioning hospitals into state-of-the-art facilities to combat COVID-19.

“We converted a section of the facility in Champaran, Bihar into isolation wards with 150 beds in just 10 days amidst the lockdown.”

V Sukumar Hebber

BU Head – Health, IT & Office Space

At the request of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, in March 2020, three floors of the L&T-constructed 850-bed super specialty facility at the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi have been converted into COVID-19 treatment zones, with more portions in the process of being transformed. Elsewhere in New Delhi, 200 beds in the half-completed 700-bed Indira Gandhi Hospital at Dwarka, have been converted into quarantine facilities and made operational in extremely quick time. In Puducherry, the SSB Annexure block that had already been handed over has been modified to meet the requirements of the state to treat COVID-19 patients.

Select L&T-built Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals across the country are being given a new avatar as COVID-19 care centers. “We converted a section of the facility in Champaran, Bihar into isolation wards with 150 beds in just 10 days amidst the lockdown,” shares V Sukumar Hebber, BU Head – Health, IT & Office Space. The facilities include an emergency ward with necessary lighting and toilet facilities, a medical gas piping system, a curtain track system, temporary septic tank, temporary power supply from the Electricity Board and a separate approach road especially for the COVID block. Existing facilities at various medical colleges have been converted into state-of-the-art BSL-3 level testing labs for COVID-19 cases like at the West Bengal Medical College at Diamond Harbour at the request of the West Bengal State Government, at the Government Medical College & Hospital at Madhepura, at the request of the Bihar Government and at AIIMS, Gorakhpur, at the request of the Uttar Pradesh government.

“We are executing the largest brown field project and work was progressing at rapid pace when COVID-19 grounded a lot of our good work. Our focus immediately shifted to keeping our workmen safe, healthy, and in good spirits.”

K.V. Praveen

Executive Vice President & Project Head, Delhi International Airport

Away in Assam, B&F project teams under the dynamic leadership of Krishnendu Chakraborty, Project Manager (Upper Assam), Pradeepta Das, Project Manager (Lower Assam), Manish Kumar, Project Head (Dibrugarh) M. Rana Dhar and Project Head (Tezpur) Amitabha Pal have been straining muscle and sinew to achieve key milestones at the Assam Cancer Care Foundation by completing 18 Cancer Care Hospitals strategically located in districts across the state. Their concerted efforts have attracted appreciation from the client, who has commended their progress, quality, and safety. The team has successfully completed the raft casting of the hospital, LINAC and STP/Ramp Block at ACCF site, Dibrugarh despite the challenges of the lockdown, always complying to the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Governments of India and Assam.

“Our Special Task Force Committee comprising Admin, EHS and technical staff members put in place some robust and exclusive SOPs that were rolled out systematically and strictly implemented.”

Anup Chulliyil

Project Manager, Chennai Airport Phase II

When work is grounded, humanitarian measures take off!

The huge task facing Project Director, Jitendra Agarwal and his team at the expansive Delhi International Airport – Phase 3A site was to keep a workforce of over 3700 safe. “We are executing the largest brownfield project work and was progressing at a rapid pace when COVID-19 grounded a lot of our good work,” rues Executive Vice President & Project Head, K.V. Praveen. “Our focus immediately shifted to keeping our workmen safe, healthy, and in good spirits.
A central committee involving management representatives from both the verticals – airside and building side, medical officers, TFL functional heads review the implementation of SOPs and action plans daily. We have basically left no stone unturned,” he asserts.

The main challenge for Project Manager, Anup Chulliyil at the Chennai Airport Phase II project was the discomforting proximity to a functioning airport that can be a hot bed for infections. “Aware of this, our Special Task Force Committee comprising Admin, EHS and technical staff members put in place some robust and exclusive SOPs that were rolled out systematically and strictly implemented.” Their excellent teamwork came in handy as young, Assistant Officer (IR),
K Balamurugan narrates. “We have about 650 workmen and 45 staff at site and we faced a crisis when one of our workmen, Kameshwar Gupta, fell seriously ill with high fever and a fast declining platelet count. For two days, we struggled to find a donor during this critical period. But we managed the situation well, got him admitted and soon things worked out well and he is fine now,” smiles Balamurugan with relief.

The efforts of Anup Chulliyil and his project team have won praise from their client, Airports Authority of India (AAI). “The local inspector visited our site followed later by an Intelligence Inspector,” he shares. “Both were extremely appreciative of our preventive measures. Our biggest win, however, was our workmen, who stood by us as they know that we value them. We are ready to build together,” he says with deep conviction.

Project Manager, S Ganesan at the Multi-Level Car Parking, Chennai Airport Project shares about another surprise inspection by a Government Inspector. “He visited all the camp areas like the kitchen, the dwelling rooms, provisional store and so on. After speaking to the workmen and enquiring about facilities provided to them, he appreciated our efforts,” smiles Ganesan with a thumbs up.

The Hyderabad International Airport Project site had the task of managing a large workforce of 2500+ workmen spread across three labour camps within a radius of around 18 kms in the Hyderabad Airport Zone. The energetic duo of Project Manager, CH Anil Kumar and Dy. Project Director, P. V. Kurup, quickly realised the importance of boosting the morale of the workmen. “They are a close-knit group used to interacting closely with each other as a family,” says Anil Kumar, on the psychology of workmen. “While it was important to keep them bonded emotionally, it was equally critical to impress upon them the merits of social distancing.” A lot of ground was covered by talking and interacting with them, regularly addressing their concerns, and making them believe that the team was with them during these challenging times. “We are doing our best to ensure that our workmen remain optimistic about the future,” quips Anil with a grin.

“Workmen are a close-knit group used to interacting closely with each other as a family. While it was important to keep them bonded emotionally, it was equally critical to impress upon them the merits of social distancing.”

CH Anil Kumar

Project Manager, Hyderabad International Airport

Different horses for different courses

Project Director, Ganesan R with the active support of Rajeev Roshan (FAA- Manager), Gyan Prakash (Planning In-charge), Mukesh Shukla (P&M In- charge) and Anil Kumar Chauhan (EHS In-charge), Kewal Singh Kaushal (IR Manager) & Arvind Singh (IR Officer) have adopted a slightly different ploy to deal with the 1950+ workmen at the Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS) project at Maidan Garhi, New Delhi. “For better results, we gave them ownership, involving them in our fight against COVID-19. We divided them into groups led by group leaders chosen from amongst them for better control and close monitoring. I would say that one of our key strengths is our involved and informed workforce,” Ganesan states with the hint of a smile.

The scorching summer of Andhra Pradesh turned the heat on the AIIMS project team at Guntur. Housing 1600+ workmen in structures made of GI sheets and Aerocon panels was proving to be unbearable where day temperatures soared past 40 degrees Celsius. The team, jointly with the client’s consent, shifted the workmen to the newly constructed hostel buildings located within the site.

“When a company steps up at a time like this, it builds loyalty, commitment, and long-lasting teams and it is the best time to develop flexibility at the workplace, introduce more digitisation, virtual collaboration and wellbeing.”

V Ravi

Project Manager, Wipro IT SEZ Project

“Now is the time for us to look after the people who work for us,” offers Project Manager, V Ravi, at the Wipro IT SEZ Project. “When a company steps up at a time like this, it builds loyalty, commitment, and long-lasting teams and it is the best time to develop flexibility at the workplace, introduce more digitisation, virtual collaboration and wellbeing.” He is full of praise for the efforts of Admin In-Charge, PGA Ramsudhakar, IR In-Charge, Senthil Kumar V, EHS In- Charge, Kannan S, MEP In-Charge, Sarvanan H, Planning In-Charge Ganesh Kumar V and EHSO, Saroj Kumar Swain during these testing times.

“Every single site in our Hyderabad cluster is in the process of reinventing themselves to adapt to the emerging challenges. COVID -19 has fostered the use of modern technology, which in turn, will bring in more efficiency in the system,” says Madhava Kumar, Cluster EHS Manager.

Madhava Kumar

Cluster EHS Manager

Taking the fight beyond Indian shores

The ITC ONE Colombo 1 Project team is fighting COVID-19 under the leadership and guidance of Project Director, Namachivayam. A team comprising E Arul (PM), Dr M K Parthasarathy (Head-Project Control), C S Lakshmanan (Head Commercial, Admin & IR) and A Haleemdeen (Head-EHS) are keenly and continuously monitoring the staff and workmen (of L&T and the subcontractors) at their accommodation with all necessary support. “We monitor and guide them via phone, WhatsApp, video conference calls, through regular formal daily checks to ensure strict compliance,” says Namachivayam. An Emergency Response Team, with key staff members, have spread the communication protocol and the procedures to be followed during an emergency in line with the local authority guidelines and as per the SOPs received from the HQ-EHS dept. They are also working closely with the area Public Health Inspector and the Deputy Labour Commissioner to maintain the required compliance levels. “Our focus presently is to resume operations taking all precautions adhering to the SOPs after the lockdown is relaxed in Colombo,” shares Namachivayam looking forward.

Factoring in rapidly evolving changes

“To remain in sync with the government decisions and guidelines in a rapidly evolving scenario is our effort,” states Sanjeev Thakur, Project Manager, Grasim Expansion Project at Vilayat, Bharuch which resumed operations with nearly 2000 workmen. “We recognize that as situations change, our teams require fresh approaches to get work done.” Apart from social distancing protocols, all batching plants, vehicles and electrical sections of the site are being inspected daily. “We are prepared.” Sanjeev adds resolutely.

Meanwhile, Project Manager S. Asokan at the Ramco Cements Limited – Line III Expansion Works, Andhra Pradesh is leading a united combat against COVID-19 through well managed preventive measures. Ravi Kumar, Project Account/Admin In-Charge of the project says, “The seismic shift that COVID-19 has brought about is in the way we start and end each day. It has made us realize that extraordinary efforts are required to overcome this ambiguous situation and keep our over 1350 workmen in our camp safe and engaged.”

Standing tall and fighting in a red-hot zone

Mumbai, the Maximum City, has been under maximum threat with the spiralling number of positive COVID-19 cases. The onus on B&F’s several residential project teams has thus been greater to maintain the health and safety of workmen at labour colonies, their families and staff. For Project Head C. K. Jana and his lead team of Safety Head, D. G. Patil, Accounts & Admin Head, Ravi Gupta and IR Head, Jayakumar at the Crescent Bay site, the task is tougher as 5 out of the 6 buildings have already been occupied and the under construction Tower No 3, is bang in middle of the site! While the project team at the Emerald Isle site is striving to keep their 600+ workmen safe, the Oberoi Sky City team at Borivali under the leadership of Project Director, Vinayak V. Bhosale, are focused to maintain the wellbeing, health and safety of their 800+ workmen. Project Manager, C.R. Mishra and team have their hands full safeguarding their workmen at the Lokhandwala Minerva Project in Mahalaxmi, right in the heart of Mumbai. An interesting initiative at all these sites has been the arrangement for lunch under the Maharashtra Atal Ahar Yojana.

M V SATISH

Whole Time Director & Senior Executive Vice President (Buildings, Minerals & Metals)

In the post COVID-19 world, as we restart our operations, we must put in place the right mitigation measures and support to protect our human assets and business interests. Restarting operations is akin to reinventing ourselves in many ways, adopting a ‘new normal’ of doing things differently with differing speeds. We will rely heavily on new and frontier digital technologies and we should be non-negotiable when it comes to safety. We are an organization that is adept to evolve and adopt rapidly and I am confident that B&F will lead the way.