PROVING HIS WORTH,
UNDERGROUND
Ram Krishna Shrivastava
Senior Manager (TBM), HCI IC
A TBM expert, Ram Krishna Shrivastava has been associated with 4 underground metro projects thus far and is presently working at the Bangalore Metro RT-02 Project (Shivajinagar Station – Vellara Station), since joining L&T in August 2019. “During our tunnelling journey, we have successfully handled many challenges to complete the tunnel work within the targeted key dates of the project,” he shares with the satisfaction of a job well done.
Perhaps, the TBM team’s biggest stumbling block was the underground conditions in Bengaluru that Ram describes as “some of the toughest for tunnelling in the world.” Of the 4,421 metres of tunnel with a finished diameter of 5.8 m, the team encountered boulders in the gabbro zone for around 300 m that damaged the housings of the cutterhead and several other major components of the TBM. “In fact, after the first drive breakthrough, we had to order special steel to refurbish the cutterhead and carry out major fabrication and heavy, hard facing welding works to replace the damaged housings of the cutter disc and cutter bits,” informs Ram, thanks to which the second drive progressed without any breakdowns.
Another of Ram’s special initiatives was implementing a hyperbaric system to attend to the hot work at more than 1.0 bar of hyperbaric compression. Of the 736 interventions faced, 660 were performed in hyperbaric mode, involving the replacement of more than 2,000 cutter discs. “We modified the samson air supply lines, developed safety arrangements for the hyperbaric miners, deployed plasma cutting and gouging machines for cutting work and lots of MIG welding work to replace the broken mixing arms,” Ram illustrates.
Despite facing challenges of a TBM breakdown after tunnelling only 250 m beneath a residential building and issues dismantling and retrieving the TBM parts after achieving the final breakthrough, Ram is ecstatic about the team’s achievements. “TBM Avni achieved final breakthrough on 21st October 2022, TBM Lavi’s final breakthrough was on 15th February 2023 followed by the safe retrieval of both TBMs using mega lift structures including safe tilting works in constrained spaces.”
About his team, Ram says, “Sound technical knowledge and trust are key factors in any employee’s ability to prove his or her capabilities and maintain utmost quality and accuracy for the work assigned. Secondly, decision-making qualities won’t be possible without our seniors’ trust and encouragement to deliver your best.”
Ram’s native place is Panna, Madhya Pradesh, and his better half is Ankita Shrivastava, a gold medallist in MSc. Geology, a home maker. “Without her support I would not be where and what I am,” he says with gratitude. Their joys are their daughter, Aradhya Shrivastava, studying in Class 3 and son, Advik Shrivastava, still enjoying his childhood. Ram loves outings, indoor games like badminton and chess, and outdoor ones like cricket and volleyball.
EVERY UNIQUE CHALLENGE REQUIRES A UNIQUE SOLUTION
V Logu
Manager (Geologist), HCI IC
“Every challenge is unique in nature and requires unique attention that in turn results in deep involvement and finally a unique solution,” remarks V Logu, a geologist by profession, working as an Associate at the Bangalore Metro Phase II, Reach-6, RT-02 Project that comprises three underground stations and 4.4 km of tunnelling with a slurry balance TBM. Before joining L&T in June 2019, Logu had worked on several other similar projects and brings his rich experience to bear on this project. “I have been working on underground projects for the past 14 years involving 12 km of tunnelling and 8 underground stations and this is my fifth project,” he informs.
True to his opening statement, Logu has been greeted by several unique challenges. “A commonly faced problem when operating a TBM of sink holes forming has been addressed with suitable ground consolidation prior to tunnelling,” he remarks. The team resorted to controlled blasting methods to excavate the cross passages, which again, as he says, “was quite challenging, requiring close attention to safeguard the segments and the buildings above.” He pauses and adds, “Achieving timely progress was not easy,” he shakes his head.
To tackle unique challenges, you need to have a unique team and Logu is happy with his. “I have built a team with high standards and moulded them uniquely to consistently achieve progress,” he asserts, “for which, they should first understand the project requirements and throughout a shift, need to connect and build a communication bridge with all the team members, right from engineers to helpers to achieve progress.”
“Cross passage construction was a new challenge for me,” admits Logu, “and from day one of excavation, we found the ground behaving unexpectedly forcing us to keep changing our approach. Similarly, during blasting, we were unable to achieve the expected progress initially, but we kept innovating every day till we achieved progress. That was our defining moment,” he says resolutely. “My years in ground engineering work helped me understand the behaviour and characteristics of the ground mass during the excavation, and by implementing adequate support systems and systematic excavation methods like blasting patterns, we succeeded.”
Logu recognizes Project Manager, Vivek Maruthi Pai, as his key driver. “He identified my strengths, gave me a challenging task and supported me to achieve maximum progress,” he says gratefully, adding special thanks to all the service departments like formwork, procurement, store, and QC/QS for their support.
From Gingee, in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district, Logu’s life partner is Shamini, a homemaker and his “spinal cord.” They are blessed with two children, son, Rakshith Dev Prasad, and daughter, Sushika. When not digging, he loves searching, exploring, and innovating, quite unsurprisingly.
THINKING SMART TO STAY AHEAD
Rajesh Kumar Sahoo
Assistant Manager (Procurement), HCI IC
“My aim is always to find ways to enhance progress and ensure smooth operations at the site especially during critical instances when there are urgent material requirements,” affirms Rajesh Sahoo. “I frequently visit sites and stay closely connected with the dynamics of the project that helps me assess needs better and identify potential vendors and subcontractors who can deliver at short notice.” By actively seeking reliable partners, Rajesh has established a network of trusted suppliers that has proved advantageous to the projects he has been associated with. Since joining L&T in 2011 at the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project (HMRL) as a DET in the Procurement Department, Rajesh next did a stint as Procurement In-charge at the Chennai Metro Rail UG02 project. “Since June 2019, I am heading the procurement activity for the Bangalore Metro Rail RT02 Project,” he says with quiet assurance.
Apart from a proactive approach to procurement, Rajesh attributes his success to smart thinking by optimizing resource utilization and reducing costs. “Leveraging our experience from HMRL of reusing materials, we identified various temporary structures and materials that could be reused for the BMRCL Project, specifically for the site office,” he says purposefully, like setting up essential facilities like the Store, Time, and QA/QC Offices. “We saved costs and highlighted our commitment to sustainability and responsible resource management.”
The umbilical launch of the TBM, commonly used due to space limitations, is something he is proud to have been a part of, as also the retrieval of TBMs at the Vellara Station by adopting an alternative arrangement due to lack of space. “Arranging TBM spares from the OEM (M/s. CRCHI, China) was really challenging, especially during the pandemic, so I developed alternative sources locally that saved us lots of time and money as well,” he says with a contented smile. When suppliers especially from Tamil Nadu defaulted, Rajesh jumped in to mobilize local suppliers to ensure that project progress was not disrupted due to shortage of materials.
Rajesh refers to Group Chairman, Mr. A M Naik’s statement that L&T stands as a professionally led enterprise actively contributing to the nation’s development. “This is the aspect that fills me with pride,” he says. He acknowledges his Project Manager, Vivek Maruti Pai’s mentorship. “His experience and insights have helped me navigate complex decisions and challenges in procurement,” he says gratefully. His Procurement Manager, Ravindra Yadav, has been a source of confidence and motivation too.
From Bhadrak, Odisha, Rajesh’s better half is Sagarika Sahu, a homemaker. He loves to learn new things and some of his more memorable moments have been his selection by L&T and completing the HMRL & CMRL Projects.
Efficient sub-contractor and workmen management are vital for project progress and young Vinuta is delighted that she has gradually mastered these two aspects at her Bangalore Metro RT-02 Project over the four years that she has been with L&T. “I am independently handling subcontractor management and billing,” she shares with unconcealed pride, “educating them about our partner portal and statutory requirements to help the project function smoothly.”
Her learning curve has been steep, both externally and internally, starting with identifying new subcontractors, coordinating with them to mobilize workmen and then interfacing with internal departments to complete the formalities. “Initially, I faced difficulties coordinating with the site execution team to process subcontractors’ bills in time but soon we all learnt the value of e-measurements in EIP and its importance to retain workmen,” she says. “Learning the in and out of the EIP system was difficult too. What’s more, I had to relearn several things after EIP 4.0 was introduced,” she grimaces. That she has learnt the ropes is reflected in the fact that she has trained two GETs in subcontractor management, billing and the EIP system.
“By timely processing their bills, we can retain subcontractors and mobilize their workmen as per our requirements. In fact, most of them have been associated with our project since inception,” she smiles. Since several of the subcontractors are from North India, Vinuta had to quickly learn Hindi to communicate with them effectively. “Presently, I independently manage 76 subcontractors,” she states with quiet assurance.
With both infrastructure and demand for construction workmen rapidly growing in India, especially after the pandemic-induced disruptions, timely mobilization of all categories of workmen is critical to maintain project progress. Vinuta’s vital contribution to this effort has been to mobilize 2,010 workmen in the last 7 months, from January – July 2023. She attributes her project’s efficiency to the 100% implementation of e-measurements and the biometric attendance system to calculate workmen productivity.
Apart from a good working environment, Vinuta is appreciative of the support and work ethics of Project Manager, Vivek Maruti Pai. “He motivates, inspires, and encourages me to involve myself in different aspects of construction while Planning Manager, Vinayak B. Gaonkar guides us, maintains a friendly attitude and his suggestions and information are useful to self-evaluate.”
Still single, Vinuta hails from Honnavar, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, and her brightest memory is the happiness on her parents’ faces when she gifted them a car. She reads and surfs the net during her free time and is immensely grateful that L&T has presented her an opportunity to utilise and upgrade her skills and knowledge in underground Metro works.
EXPERIENCING IS BELIEVING
Hari Babu Danyasi
Engineer (EHS), HCI IC
At his Bangalore Metro RT-O2 project, Hari Babu has resorted to a series of ‘demos’ to bring safety into sharp focus. “After the pandemic, I found that our workers were becoming lethargic and casual about wearing PPEs so one day I brought two watermelons. In front of them, I dropped a 200-gm nut bolt from a height of 5 m that smashed the watermelon. I repeated the demo after placing a helmet to show the importance of wearing helmets.”
Since their execution involves a lot of work at height, there were risks in assembling, dismantling, and using mobile towers for which Hari has arranged an exhibition of how each component is fitted on mobile scaffolds. Interestingly, placing a mirror that workers cannot miss, is his way to constantly remind them about “ownership” of their safety at the workplace.
Posted at the MG Road Station, Hari has been rigorously implementing health and safety initiatives from the word ‘go’ and proudly shares that their site has crossed 13+ million safe manhours. Good housekeeping is another area of Hari’s focus to remind everyone the importance of keeping the site neat and tidy and drives the ‘One day Safety Officer role’ initiative too for a Site Engineer to conduct site inspection. “This improves our execution team’s perception towards a Safety Officer’s role and the hardship of implementing risk control measures.”
“I have created safety parks, drawn up PPE matrixes for job-specific works, reuse waste tins to plant saplings, harvest rainwater, use gas cylinders for storage using remaining pieces of MS pipes & rebars and contribute towards reducing the carbon footprint by handing over used papers,” he adds. Hari is excited about the digital transformation in the Company with digital inspections and Apps like SHEiLD and IB4U transforming the way machinery is inspected.
“L&T is a great platform for learning with tremendous opportunities to improve my skills and growth,” he gushes about the Company that he joined at the Hyderabad Metro in 2013. Later, he moved to his present assignment where he was given a sound foundation by Chief SHE Manager, Deenadayalan. Hari is appreciative of the guidance and support he has received from Project Manager, Vivek Maruti Pai and Station Manager, Gajraj Singh.
Proud of being the first person from his village of Ramayapatnam, situated in coastal Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, to be educated, Hari is married to D Sailaja, a homemaker, whom he describes as “the one who balances my family, supports my career without any disturbance or complaints but always with a smile!” They are blessed with a baby boy, DV Takshit, and baby girl, DV Devanshi. His varied interests include cricket, volleyball, athletics, skipping and maintaining a mini garden at home.