“I was involved right from the tendering to the execution stage of the Nahadah project,” declares Gopalkrishna Kamath, “and with enough experience in executing 400 kV projects in Oman, I was able to contribute some key technical inputs during the bidding stage.” Later, at the design engineering stage, he coordinated with all the stake holders, site, design consultants, client consultants for the timely delivery of the engineering deliverables, approvals of the engineering documents which subsequently helped the project to win the Timely Delivery Award 2022.
“Value engineering in optimizing the DC System, HVAC design and opting for an alternate option to the Outdoor Tariff meter CT to avoid changes in 132 kV GIS helped to deliver the GIS on time to site,” he adds meaningfully.
A big impediment for Gopalkrishna and his team was the pandemic and the lockdowns during which the engineering and procurement had to be completed. “I coordinated with the design and client consultants remotely to complete all the submissions and approvals digitally, apart from ‘virtual’ meetings with all stakeholders for the key drawing approvals,” he informs. Issuing manufacturing clearances for all the major vendor items before the scheduled time mitigated some of the risks during the execution stage. “I also coordinated with the SCMS vendors to mitigate risk by communicating the same to them after the design freeze,” he says.
“All of us, seniors and team members worked as a cohesive unit for a common cause which was to complete the project before the schedule with 100% safety and quality,” says Gopalkrishna with a refreshing resoluteness. Supporting them enormously was digital solutions like ALIGN and PRAPTI for progress monitoring and BIM, to cross check design drawings and 3D models with respect to all the services like HVAC, cable tray and GIB routing.
While he is happy that he is working for an organization that gives ample opportunity to every individual the freedom to learn and perform in their respective fields, Gopalkrishna is equally proud for being part of some iconic PT&D projects both domestically and overseas. “Being part of the first 400 kV project in the Middle East and involved with two 400 kV projects in Oman that were both completed before time gives me a huge high,” he says rousingly.
Hailing from Mangalore, Gopalkrishna is married to Anitha, who works as a tax consultant in a private company, and they are blessed with two sons, Amogh and Shrihan, studying in 6th and 1st standards respectively. Travelling, networking, and reading are what keeps him going when not completing projects on time.
LEADING WITH EXPERIENCE TO DELIVER AHEAD
OF TIME
S P Sivakumar
Construction Manager (Civil), PT&D IC
With 20 years of experience under his belt, S P Sivakumar can confidently say that he has seen it all, done it all. At the Nahadah Grid Station Project, he brought to bear his rich knowledge, teambuilding and organizational skills, that helped the team complete the project ahead of schedule to win the coveted Timely Delivery Award. “We completed and handed over the GIS, CRP and battery rooms, TR FN, and GIB foundation well in advance for further installation of equipment,” he informs proudly.
A material tracking sheet helped the team to follow up with the procurement team for on time delivery of material at site. “We focused on identifying the critical material well in advance to get them at the right time,” he notes. “We prepared the BBS based on the available drawings to do the cut-and-bend process in advance as well as execute the structure work without interruptions.”
The compound wall was constructed with a precast panel system of around 760 Rmt, which had design complexities. “Precast concrete panels require vendors to plan and design to a much higher level of accuracy and detail than they are used to,” explains Sivakumar, who with his team were fully involved right from initiation, preparing accurate shop drawings with the in-house team, that helped get timely approvals. “We estimated the steel quantity while the steel rates were low in the market due to the impact of COVID,” Sivakumar adds, “and with additional efforts estimated the required quantity of material quickly and raised the EMR well ahead for procurement.”
On the digital front, the team tracked project progress with Align, labour management was monitored by a biometric system and utilized the Digital Care Card app for safety. “We also used the Digital Entry app to check the spread of the pandemic.”
Sivakumar is a native of Kalkulam Village, Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, is married to Rajapushpa, a homemaker, and they are blessed with two children, whom he loves spending time with. Their daughter, Saparna, wants to become a doctor, while their son, Shrisabari Kishore, dreams of becoming an engineer. “My son loves to play football. My daughter has a talent for cricket, and she has been playing in the Omani women’s cricket team for the past two years,” he says, beaming with fatherly pride.
In conclusion he says, “I would like to thank our management for their support and guidance of taking a lead role to achieve the target milestone and thank my colleagues for their support and cooperation to achieve our project target.”
CELEBRATING A HABIT OF
DELIVERING PROJECTS AHEAD OF TIME
A common refrain from all members of the Timely Delivery awardwinning Nadahah project is their collective commitment from the beginning to complete it ahead of schedule that drove them throughout the execution process. It is much the same with Natti Venkat Raman, who is a veteran with 13 years and 6 projects with L&T. “The timely completion of the Nahadah Project, the opportunity to meet SNS sir and have some interactions with him during the awards function held at Chennai HO on 7th January 2023 are certainly some of my most memorable moments,” he gushes, with stars in his eyes.
Completing projects ahead of time seems to be a habit for Venkat for he was earlier recognised for his role in successfully completing the Amrat and Mabella projects, three months ahead of schedule. “I was also part of the project team that successfully executed the MOD PSS project within 11 months and received an appreciation from the client and consultant,” his pride is evident. “It was always my childhood dream to be a part of L&T which has been fulfilled and am immensely proud to be a part of so many projects that we have delivered ahead of time.”
At the Nadahah project, Venkat attributes his success to his micro follow up with the top management (from LTO HO and Middle East) and regular review meetings. “Taking corrective actions and participating in various meetings with all the major suppliers and vendors whenever required ensured that the project ran smoothly,” he remarks, acknowledging the excellent drive of Project Manager, Ravi Raikar, and his good relations with the client, consultant and all the team members. “I received excellent support from all my project team members like Admin, Procurement, Civil, Electrical, HSE, QAQC, T&C, planning, etc. They were always available whenever required and worked in a very good and healthy atmosphere,” he says, enjoying the benefits of excellent teamwork.
On the digital front, Align and BIM were implemented. “Many of the interfacing issues like HVAC ducts with lighting, firefighting, etc were identified and resolved with BIM, ensuring that there are no reworks at site.”
Hailing from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, Venkat’s better half is Aruna Kumari, a homemaker, and they are blessed with two children, son, Hemanth Vamsi Ram and daughter, Keerthika. Playing cricket, watching movies and spending time with his family and friends are what Venkat find most liberating during his free time.
PROUDLY WORKING FOR THE
SAFETY OF ALL
Gotti Murali N
Manager EHS, PT&D IC
Gotti Murali is proud to be working with L&T, a company he has been a part of since 2007. “I am so impressed by the great respect that the company is given by clients, consultants, vendors, suppliers, and other stakeholders. Even in my hometown of Yachavaram, VenkataGiri, in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh, I am respected since I work for this prestigious organization.”
A veteran of 9 projects at L&T, Gotti puts a premium on understanding the importance of EHS implementation and Mission Zero Harm. “To drive EHS, I have prepared a list of project EHS monthly activities, and ‘push’ EHS motivation, campaigns, mock drills, daily EHS stand up meetings and environmental activities to communicate and educate for successfully project completion without LTI.”
Driven by the need to keep lives safe, Gotti enumerates some safety aspects that he has implemented such as the digital visitor entry application, a hand & fire safety exhibition campaign and the effective use & reuse of resources. “I developed and trained National EHS staff which the Client approved and have always maintained best customer relationship for smooth functioning of all activities without any major constraints.”
Apart from safely negotiating the challenges posed by the pandemic during execution stage, Gotti is delighted that he has safely and successfully completed 400 kV OHL LILO including 400 kV tower erection with stringing works, helped install 400 / 132 kV GIS equipment, installed two 500 mVA transformers and completed the Nahadah project without LTI and ahead of the schedule, to help win the project the Timely Delivery Award 2022.
He is grateful to all his team members for coordinating and participating in the EHS effort, always involving the Construction Manager to resolve site EHS issues. “I always noted the observations made by the top management during their frequent visits and resolved them immediately.”
Gotti’s unwavering focus on EHS has won him several awards and accolades like the client’s appreciation for the project achieving One Million Safe Man Hours and an award for Best Near Miss Reporting. “We won a ROSPA Award and accolades from the Adam Municipality for tree plantation at the library office and mass cleaning inside the compound wall.”
On his personal front, Gotti is married to Kamineni Sarvani, an M. Tech but presently a homemaker, and they are blessed with two children, Parnika and Shanwik. His daughter’s birth is his life’s most memorable moment and when not driving EHS, he watches movies and sports.
As the Quality Manager for the 400/132kV Nahadah Grid Station project, Girish Ghom ensured error-free execution and reduced rework with thorough inspection and cross-checking techniques at site thanks to which the project won the Timely Delivery Award. “We meticulously monitored the delivery of good-quality materials like concrete, imported soil, and other materials by suppliers,” Girish informs, “and implemented best practices, conducted weekly quality walk-downs with the Project Manager and team, recorded quality incidents, and followed a zero-tolerance policy for errors.”
With close to 13 years’ experience with L&T Oman, Girish is a seasoned campaigner of 9 projects thus far. “What’s heartening is that we are the same team working together for more than three projects,” he says happily. “We understand each other well, there is great collaboration, and teamwork comes naturally.” Girish compliments his young and dynamic Project Manager, Ravi Raikar, for helping the team drive their goals more proactively and smartly. The mentoring from the senior management was crucial in Girish and team achieving their targets. “Their detailed instructions guided us to anticipate critical situations, helped us achieve zero customer complaints, get excellent customer ratings, appreciation letters, third-party awards, and the Quality Trophy for PT&D Middle East.”
On the digital front, the QIR App helped Girish monitor and prevent reoccurrence of incidents, which led to reduced repair cost and less rework. “In addition, online care cards and near-miss reporting recorded every incident and strengthened the EHS system at site,” he adds.
Hailing from Amravati in Maharashtra, Girish is proud of his roots. “It’s a small, beautiful city in the Vidarbha region, 150 km from Nagpur, known for its culture and is an education hub for the surrounding regions.” His most memorable moment is getting admitted to the Government College of Engineering, Amravati. Girish loves reading books, listening to music, singing, and exploring, and every year, looks forward to spending Diwali with his family. He is married to Kanchan, an IT professional, who is currently a homemaker, and they are blessed with a daughter, 4-year-old Ishani.
L&T has always been a dream company for Girish as a civil engineer. “After working here for 12.5 years, I feel it is full of great people, great leaders, a strong system and culture. I always feel it is my company!” he signs off with a wide grin.
BUILDING ON 10+ YEARS OF
RICH EXPERIENCE
J Gopalakrishnan
Construction Manager (ELEC – Testing & Commissioning), PT&D IC
J Gopalakrishnan prides on his 10+ years of rich experience executing 400/220/132/33kV EPC projects for L&T in Oman beginning with the construction of the 132/33kV Grid Station at Amrat and Mabella-2 and the installation of the required 132kV overhead line & 132 kV cables in the Muscat Governorate. Most certainly, the highlight of his decade-long association with L&T has been his contribution to the Nahadah project that won the L&T Construction Timely Delivery Award 2022.
In response to the query about his specific contribution to the project’s achievement, Gopalakrishnan’s responses are matter of fact and straightforward. “It was important to plan the work properly especially since execution was happening parallelly across multiple locations,” he says. “Our CEO keeps talking about delighting customers and therefore we did everything within our control to maintain best customer relationships to ensure smooth functioning of all our activities, ensured that we effectively used our resources and implemented new and different methods rather than the conventional ones to achieve our targets efficiently.” This may sound basic but success in construction is getting the basics right and Gopalakrishnan and his team certainly did so and have the results to show for it.
Working in the Middle East has its own unique set of challenges like less progress during the Eid fasting period. Of course, the pandemic posed its own set of issues, but Gopalakrishnan stayed focused on taking these challenges in his stride to deliver the project on time.
He is delighted that the management had confidence in his ability to deliver and supported him whole-heartedly and continuously. “I am happy that I had excellent guidance and support from our PT&D Head of Operations, K N Bhat, my Project Manager, Ravi Raikar and of course, Rajagopal, Senior Manager, Protection & Commissioning.” He shares the same positive feeling about L&T, that he believes is a company that will support one forever and help one grow to heights.
Gopalakrishnan’s native place is Madurai, Tamil Nadu, and he is married to Archana, a homemaker. During his free time, of which he has very little, he loves to read books and play music. “I have two memorable moments in my life,” he smiles. “One is when I received my offer letter from L&T and the other is when I built my own house.”
What impresses young Mohamed Itries most about L&T is the willingness of the leadership to invest in and have confidence in young talent to perform and deliver. “L&T gave me an opportunity to work as Planning Manager in a voluminous job of 400kV OHL having only one year’s experience,” he says with a sense of awe. “Believing in young generation minds, leaving the path for young minds to explore and allowing them to take independent decisions are what I admire most in this organization.”
Having joined L&T as a GET, Mohamed has worked on some versatile projects including the Nahadah project in Oman that won the Timely Delivery Award 2022 for which the role of Planning was vital. Elaborating on his contribution, he mentions that mobilizing the required P&M resources quickly and at lesser than the budgeted rates were big wins. “Further, we completed the outage works without any safety or quality violations, properly reconciled all materials, completed all the documentations on time which was critical and required for energisation and followed up with the client to collect the completion certificate after complying with all the requirements,” he sits back with an obvious sense of achievement.
His main challenges at site were to identify new vendors and mobilize the required P&M resources in a remote location, apart from following up for the delivery of critical material including tower lights at the last moment that required an escalation to the IS for resolution without affecting their targets. “The Management gave me an additional role and responsibility of a MIS Coordinator, a new position, to coordinate the closing of two old jobs. Through effective time management and adequate support from the IS, I was able to manage the additional jobs,” he smiles.
Digitalization played a key role in their project’s success. By monitoring progress through Align, the team correlated with the progress submitted to client, identified critical paths, and took corrective actions, wherever required. “By issuing digital tokens to the subcontractor workmen, we were saved the trouble of data manipulation to calculate debit recovery,” he points out.
From Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, Mohamed is married to Fathima Irfana, a homemaker, and their family is complete with two lovely daughters, 4-year-old, Aafila and Haniya, who is a year and a half. An active social media user, Mohamed fondly recalls his final year at college as some of his most memorable moments.
