ENJOYING THE FARE BEING DISHED OUT
Rohit Appasaheb Mali
Construction Manager (Civil), Railways SBG
“I love cooking and I enjoy it every day,” laughs Rohit Mali, sharing about a pastime he enjoys, and he will agree that he is enjoying the challenges that are being dished out as he moves from project to project at L&T. “Currently, I am at my 3rd project with L&T at the Mumbai Metro Line-3, prior to which I contributed to the Riyadh Metro and Mumbai Monorail Projects in multiple disciplines like design, interface, execution, and project controls,” he mentions, describing his association with a Company that he feels is consistently growing in its area of business, which is why, “L&T attracts every engineering professional, and I am no exception,” he grins.
However, the issues he has encountered at the Mumbai Metro Project are enough to wipe that grin off his face. “Our primary challenge was to set up a manufacturing unit for the precast Low Vibration Track (LVT) blocks that was being attempted for the first time in our country,” he remarks grimly, “but its success has left remarkable footprints in the project on both the progress and financial fronts.” It was a journey packed with learning, and Rohit is thrilled that along the way they have successfully implemented several engineering process-related initiatives. “Finally, the acceptance of the first precast LVT Block manufactured in the factory was certainly one of my life’s high points,” he says with immense satisfaction.
The team also found the production of small-sized precast elements with low workable concrete a tough nut to crack. “We spent several weeks to meet the required concrete quality suitable for this production,” he says. “Several iterations of the RMC design gave us initial comfort, but later it was addressed completely by implementing moisture correction sensors in the batching plant.” Another moment to savour for Rohit and his team was the movement of trains on the first 3 km section on the Low Vibration Track installed by them.
About the role of technology in our lives and in the construction industry in particular, Rohit remarks sagely, “We are living in an era where technology and digital solutions cannot be separated from progress and transformation.”
A native of Sangli, Maharashtra, Rohit is married to Shruti. “Shruti is a CS by profession but is currently looking after my family,” he smiles, “and we are blessed with a cute daughter, Ruhi. The moment I took her into my hands for the first time in the hospital is another wonderful moment of my life,” he concludes dreamily.
Success in the construction industry is always the triumph of teamwork, and Rohit is thankful to all his mentors and team members who have always helped him learn and grow in both his personal and professional lives.
BUILDING HIS CAREER, BLOCK BY BLOCK
Mohammad Asif
Senior Engineer (Civil), Railways SBG
When free, Mohammad Asif likes to read about new technologies, which has helped him at his Mumbai Metro Line-3 Project, his second, where he has enjoyed the opportunity to adopt and implement the new Low Vibration Track (LVT) (High Attenuation) Technology for the first time in India. “LVT was adopted to protect the heritage structures from vibrations and other damage,” he mentions, and then excitedly shares the project team’s record-breaking performance.
“Our target was to produce 216,000 LVT blocks, and after consultations with the team from Sonneville, our technology partner, a production target of 400 LVT sleeper blocks per day was fixed,” he begins. Being a new technology, the team had a learning phase before they started to achieve expertise in machine operations, concrete design, and production systems. “Starting from a low of 60 LVT sleeper blocks per day, we reached a peak of 700 per day by enhancing productivity and optimizing cost and completed the required scope 3 months earlier,” declares Asif, with a triumphant look. “We received the Delta Award 2021 and the 1st Runners Up for ‘Cost Optimisation & Productivity Enhancement in the production of Low Vibration Track (LVT) booted sleepers by means of improvement in the operation and process.’”
The pandemic often threatened to throw their progress off track. “I joined the project in October 2020 at the height of the pandemic, and when we started the factory setup in Wadala, we neither had subcontractors, expert vendors nor manpower,” he says with a troubled expression. Apart from inducting CSTI-trained workmen, some of the engineers themselves rolled up their sleeves to take up production. “Facing shortage of manpower during the 2nd wave of the pandemic, my colleague Ashish Pandey and I worked as operators to teach the new workmen machine operations,” recalls Asif. Their actions boosted the morale of the workmen, who soon returned to site, learnt the process and the team’s production was back on track.
Asif believes that theirs is a victory of teamwork. “Our Factory Manager, Amit Kumar Shukla; Planning Manager, Rohit Mali; and Project Director, Brij Mohan Sharma, helped us by providing resources and support on time while Anup Pandey, Dinesh, Ujjwal, Ashish Pandey and I worked as a team with one aim.”
Completing 2 CRS inspections at the Sambalpur-Titlagarh Doubling Railway Project in Odisha, his first, as an Earthwork Team In-charge is a matter of pride. “We successfully commissioned 23.7 km with 4 stations, of which 3 were remodelled and another, newly commissioned.”
From Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Asif’s life’s best moment was marrying Kaynat Anjum, a homemaker. He also likes to watch movies and explore new places.
