Steel is at the very core of construction, and Anbu V has made a significant difference to the projects that he has been associated with by imaginatively procuring and using steel. Today, he is a proud man having played a big part in bringing to reality the Birsa Munda International Stadium, the world’s largest hockey stadium.
“Every construction project has elements that need to fit in seamlessly, although suddenly unforeseen challenges pop up that require to be tackled head on,” says Anbu with a wry smile. Non- availability of planned raw material due to a crisis in steel rolling in the market was a major challenge delaying project progress. However, challenges also open opportunities, so when a new stand was converted from RCC into structural steel, the team immediately finalised and ordered the raw material without waiting for the detailed engineering inputs. “This helped us source the steel on time to maintain the progress of fabrication,” he says, glad at their swift action.
Anbu realizes the importance of planning to avoid delays like scheduling for additional resources like cranes and manpower in fabrication or making changes in erection methodologies. Solution minded, he ensured ways and means to overcome these delays and accommodate new inputs given by the architect or consultant to ensure that the project was completed to meet quality standards. The team also ensured that digital technologies were used to ace the race to project completion.
Prior to working at the Birsa Munda Stadium Project, Anbu worked as Project Manager for a Structural Steel Company at iconic L&T Projects like the Statue of Unity, Mumbai International Airport – Phases 2, 3 and 4, and Dhirubhai Ambani International Convention Centre. All praise for his seniors for hand holding him throughout, he says that “they have fostered a collaborative environment where every member feels valued, the project’s objectives are aligned, and the team works towards a shared goal.” Despite looming deadlines, the team managed to bond with each other through team outings and get-togethers. “We were like a family away from home,” he says with a bright smile.
Hailing from Perambakkam, Thiruvallur, Anbu is married to Logadharini, a teacher. They are blessed with two daughters, Prinayaa and Hershna. He enjoys reading and travelling in his free time. A typical family man who is career focused, his most memorable moments are understandably time spent with his family and the successful completion of every project.
Anbu’s work may not always steal the spotlight, but it lays the foundation to some awe-inspiring buildings such as the Birsa Munda Stadium, and that is what keeps him going. After all, not everybody gets the opportunity to be a part of a nation builder.
“Façades are not just about appearance; they provide structural support and protection for the building,” says Sivamoorthi Muthumani. “The facade must be designed to withstand environmental forces like wind, rain, and temperature fluctuations and plays a big role in defining a building’s identity. It is even more challenging when it is for the world’s largest hockey stadium, the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, but we pulled it off with great elan at the end of the day.”
Their biggest challenge was to deliver on time. Sivamoorthi proactively supported the race against time by deploying additional manpower in 3 working shifts that ensured that the workmen remained fresh, and progress was not hampered. “For certain critical façade elements, we decided to go ahead with onsite fabrication unit arrangement instead of factory production to optimize on time and transport cost,” he says, with the façade of a man who is used to getting things done. “And this paid us great dividends,” he adds meaningfully.
To ensure smoother project delivery, fewer delays, and a higher- quality result, he established open and transparent lines of communication between the architect and consultants. Regular meetings, both formal and informal, and virtual interactions were scheduled to discuss project progress, changes, and issues. He ensured that high-speed progress cameras were installed to ensure safety and monitor progress. Walkie Talkies, issued to all supervisors, kept communication free flowing, without any signal issues.
He is all praise for his seniors, especially his “young and energetic” Project Manager, Sabarish who guided him through the overwhelming manpower deployment, helping him to manage resources efficiently, including materials and equipment. A collaborative working environment and incentive-backed initiatives that rewarded workmen every day boosted their morale and increased productivity. Having a great relationship with the client, cascading their expectations down the line, providing all support and resources have been key to their success.
A native of Eriyur village in Tamil Nadu’s Sivagangai district, Sivamoorthi is married to Praveena, who is a nurse. They are blessed with sons, Pranav Joshua and Prathvik. He spends his free time playing cricket and reading. A seasoned professional on his 15th project with L&T, his most memorable moments are being associated with two Guinness Record breaking projects Hotel Gevora, the world’s tallest star hotel in Dubai, and Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium.
A true-blooded L&T-ite, he is proud of the company’s commitment to innovation and delivering high-quality engineering and construction projects. “L&T handles complex engineering challenges and contributes to major infrastructural development, which is so inspiring,” he signs off on a high.
EXCITED ABOUT WORKING FOR
A DREAM COMPANY
Dipanjan Ghosh
Construction Manager (Civil), B&F IC
He is already a veteran at L&T, for the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium was Dipanjan Ghosh’s 9th project; although his list of previous projects is impressive, he would rank the stadium. project at the top for its challenges, criticality, and final success.
“Being one of the most prestigious companies dealing in different sectors, it is no surprise that L&T is among the dream companies for many candidates for due to its employee perks and working environment,” opines Dipanjan, adding with a smile that it is certainly his dream company to work for, “and my life’s best moment was getting a job offer from L&T at campus.”
His previous projects include: ACCF Dibrugarh, Ramco Cement Grinding Unit, Haridaspur, Jajpur Odisha, Emami City Project, Dumdum, Kolkata, Gomti Enclave Project, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, Adani M2K Project, Gurgaon, Haryana, The Address Project, Ghatkopar, and Imperial Heights Project, Oshiwara, both for the Wadhwa Group in Mumbai, and the Arshiya International Project, New Panvel, Mumbai.
At the Birsa Munda Project, the team’s single objective was to deliver the stadium in time for the Hockey World Cup Tournament. “Even our nation’s reputation was at stake, so we did everything possible to achieve our goal,” says Dipanjan, with steely determination. “Contractually we were supposed to use about 3,660 cum. of fly ash brick masonry but we convinced the client to use AAC Block instead to optimise time.”
The adverse weather significantly impacted construction schedules and site conditions and the scope kept expanding although the delivery deadline remained fixed, but the team took everything in their collective stride. Dipanjan attributes their success to timely mobilization of materials and manpower and micro scheduling of work with meticulous and rigorous daily tracking. “The digital platform helped us to manage schedules, budgets, resource allocation, and coordination between team members,” he mentions, “and the collection and analysis of data from the construction process helped to optimize cost, improve quality and save time.”
It would not have been possible to deliver such a project at speed and scale but for excellent teamwork, and Dipanjan acknowledges the cooperation of his seniors and team members. “They were humble, ever ready to help, and my Project Manager, Sabarish Narayanan, always gave me the freedom to take any work-related decisions and was always there to guide me,” he remarks thankfully.
A native of Jhargram, West Bengal, Dipanjan loves to read and travel to new places when free. he is married to Parul Gope, a homemaker, and carrying their first child. We wish the couple the very best!
MEET ACTION HERO, CHANDRADEEP!
Chandradeep Etha
Assistant Manager (Planning), B&F IC
Transferred to the Kalinga Stadium Project in Bhubaneshwar in October 2021, Chandradeep Etha was just settling into his role of handling costing and scheduling to begin, and then procurement, when in August 2022 he was deputed to the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium Project in Rourkela. “It was due to the sudden resignation of two of the Planning staff, and I had to take care of costing involving submission and certification of rate approvals for non-tendered items from the Client, preparation of deviation statements and subsequent Client approvals and taking internal management approvals for procurement and vendor bills,” he reels off his responsibilities.
Jumping into the thick of things, he had daily progress review meetings with all the stakeholders without fail to identify the bottlenecks, ensure team coordination, review plan vs achieved and plan for the balance works. “Our project scope increased dramatically from Rs. 114 Crores to Rs. 284 Crores in a very short span of time that led to huge variations in quantities of non- tendered items, but of course our deadline stayed fixed,” says Chandradeep, “so we had to quickly mobilize additional manpower and resources.” It was also his onus to prepare timely rate analysis and reconciliation statements.
Apart from his many achievements at the project, Chandradeep is especially proud of three things: completion of facade works, completion of the stadium flooring works and completion of the external work. Digitalization certainly helped the project in its race against time, and he says, “We implemented the Issue Tracker and a to do list with a Responsibility Assignment Matrix in the Planning Department that helped quick identification and resolution of issues.”
Chandradeep attributes his success to the help and support of his team members, above, with and below him, naming several of them: “Indrojit Sarkar Sir for rate approvals and other costing- related works, Chandra Prakash Rai Sir for P&M hiring & related works, Bishal Singh, B K Ojha and Surajit Mondal for subcontractor billing and reconciliation works, Ranjit Mohanty for vendor identification, & procurement related works, Pradipta Kumar Das for vendor bills processing & payments and Anirban Chakraborty for identifying site requirements and vendor coordination.”
Hailing from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, Chandradeep’s life partner is Sudeepa Gorle, a software engineer. When he finds time after chasing deadlines, he loves to trek and watch travelogues. What does he love about L&T? “The opportunity to take decisions, recognition of efforts and the freedom to express your ideas,” he asserts.
KEEPING SAFETY TOP OF
MIND FOR ALL, ALL THE TIME
Soubhagya Ranjan Das
Assistant Manager (EHS), B&F IC
When working at speed, often Safety is the first aspect that gets neglected. At the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium Project, faced with a daunting target of constructing the world’s largest hockey stadium in just 15 months, the pressure on the EHS team and Soubhagya Das would have been great to cut a few corners to maintain the speed of construction. That they did not is reflected in the 5-star Rating they received from BSC. “Our target is to win the Sword of Honour,” he says, buoyed by having delivered handsomely.
“Teamwork is the key to success, and we followed SOPs right from the start, that fetched us good results in our internal audits and, at the same time, drove progress,” he observes. “As an EHS professional, it was my responsibility to make our employees and workmen understand that Safety is part of our daily lives, and we are all responsible for our own safety.” Towards this end, several and regular training programmes were organized as per the needs of the project.
Soubhagya recalls a defining activity in the project involving the erection of 3,600 MT of structural steel within a target time. “This was an extremely risky activity, but we successfully carried out the erections, maintaining a high standard of safety,” he says with an expression of part triumph and part relief.
A standout characteristic of the team was that it was open to adopting all changes. “We live in an era of Al, ML and more, and digital solutions like predictive analysis, Safety Apps and BI dashboards are helping us to improve efficiency and speed up construction, safely,” he points out. “We used the Ib4U App to monitor and inspect equipment, power tools and other safety- related inspections on a month-on-month basis,” he illustrates.
Terming their victory as a triumph of teamwork, Soubhagya is extremely thankful to his Project Manager, Sabarish Narayanan’s backing. “He encouraged me and gave me complete freedom to implement all my initiatives. At L&T, we are one big family, and our seniors walk the way with us.” He is impressed by the strong EHS culture that is followed in L&T.
Obviously, family is important for Soubhagya, for he describes it as “Our strong pillar of support. The most important thing in the world is family and love, and there is no doubt that family plays an important role in our lives.” A native of Kendrapara, Odisha, his family is his wife, Monalisha, a homemaker. When free, he loves to listen to music and cook.
In our world of construction, every awe-inspiring landmark is brought to life by a set of makers, and the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium Project team can lay claim to have created a masterpiece: the world’s largest hockey stadium. “It has been a great experience for me,” says Ujjwal Bairagi, with a sense of wonder, “honing my skills to manage all project stakeholders, ensuring that our client’s expectations were understood and met, and addressing the technical concerns of the architects and engineers,” he pauses, as if lost in thought and then continues. “All this sounds easy now, but remember that we were doing all this when racing against a deadline to complete the project.”
The inter-connectedness of the construction process can be both a boon and bane. For engineers, like Ujjwal, it is a perennial threat for as he mentions, “A delay in any one aspect of the project can have a rippling effect on the entire timeline.” His team had their fair share of challenges like adverse weather conditions, unforeseen structural issues, ever-changing specs and more. “We, however, managed these with swift decision making, reassigning resources, and readjusting schedules to ensure minimal disruption without compromising on quality.”
Some smart moves that kept them in the hunt for their goal were a proper de-watering plan and a site drainage system, constructing a temporary site access of slag, a waste product, for easy vehicle movement and having both the workforce and equipment working double shifts. “Yes, I am delighted at the way we handled the Client regarding advance payment,” he grins, “and the innovative reuse of approximately 60 MT of cut & scrap reinforcement steel to reduce wastage.”
Ujjwal is thankful to his seniors for empowering him with clear communication, regular inputs and promptly addressing his concerns. “This transparent flow of information fostered trust within the team and prevented misunderstandings that could have otherwise led to errors,” he explains earnestly. Prior to the Birsa Munda Project, Ujwal had worked at the WBMSC-Medical College, Rampurhat (West Bengal), WBMSCL-Baruipur Hospital, Kolkata and TCS Geetanjali IT-Park, Rajarhat Projects.
Hailing from Hariharpur in West Bengal, Ujjwal is married to Suparna, who works in the private sector. His life’s most memorable moment was when he held their daughter, Sangya, for the first time. He enjoys travelling and playing outdoor games in his free time.
Ujjwal is proud to work for L&T: “You name any iconic building, be it the Statue of Unity or the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, it carries L&T’s stamp of excellence,” he says with a wide smile.
MAKING THINGS THAT MAKE
THE WORLD PROUD
Swades Ranjan Jen
Assistant Construction Manager (Electrical), B&F IC
The entire project team that constructed the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela are on top of the world and with good reason, having built the world’s largest hockey stadium and that too within time for the FIH Hockey World Cup tournament. For people like Swades Jena, it was all about constant planning to speed up construction to deliver on time.
“We executed the MEP activities parallelly both internally and externally with different machineries to save time,” he shares, “and used scissor lifts and boom lifts instead of scaffoldings when working at heights that, apart from saving time, improved our productivity.” Another ploy they adopted was to implement a pulley rope system to expedite cable laying from the HT substation to the LT substation.
The bigger challenge for Swades and team, however, was to complete laying the main incoming cable of 9100 rmt (14 Run of 650 m each) from the local electricity board substation to the stadium’s main panel room. “It had to be completed before the tournament started, and with time of great essence, we used precast ‘U’ type cable trenches instead of the cast-in-situ method,” he explains. The team used hydraulic pilot machines to install the panels and motors. “All the technology, automation and digital solutions we used and everything that we did at site were aimed to reduce manual labour costs, to be more ecofriendly and increase productivity and efficiency across our various departments,” he sums up succinctly.
How did you feel when it was all done, the stadium was ready, the lights were switched on and the first match between India and Spain started? “It was so exciting to have completed our task in the scheduled time,” enthuses Swades. “It was also a great challenge for all of us as a Swades Ranjan Jena Assistant Construction Manager (Electrical), B&F IC All the technology, automation and digital solutions we used and everything that we did at site were aimed at reducing manual labour costs, to be more eco-friendly and increase productivity and efficiency across our various departments. team to deliver, and by achieving our goal, we were able to prove ourselves. We are known to make the things that make India proud like the International Hockey Stadium we built at Rourkela.”
Swades joined L&T as a DET in 2011 and, before Birsa Munda, had completed the JCGU Ramco Cement Project as an E&I In-charge of scheduled timelines, working through the pandemic phase.
Hailing from Jajpur, Odisha, Swades is still his own master and single and loves to spend his free time reading when not chasing deadlines at his project. “My most memorable moment was when I moved into our new house with my parents,” he shares emotionally.
EXECUTING THE
PERFECT GAMEPLAN
Saikat Bandyopadhyay
Engineer (Civil), B&F IC
For someone who loves singing and playing the guitar, all the praise heaped upon the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium Project team for engineering and constructing a landmark and delivering it in time, must certainly be music to Saikat Bandyopadhyay’s ears. As a vital member of the winning team, he has a lot to share as to how they made it all happen.
“Designing a hockey stadium to meet some very specific requirements and, at the same time, adhering to stringent safety standards, accessibility, and functionality can be complex, especially when faced with multiple challenges,” he observes. While on one hand, the adverse weather tried its best to foul up their best laid construction plans, on the other, the team’s scope of work kept increasing. “But,” as he bemoans, “our deadline was cast in stone – to be ready in time for the Hockey World Cup.”
So, what was their winning formula? “A combination of careful planning, effective communication, collaboration among various stakeholders, and experienced project management was our winning formula,” says Saikat with a winning smile.
As the team raced against a hard-stop deadline, they first constructed a temporary site access with easily available slag to prepare a hard base for easy vehicle movement, then activated an appropriate dewatering plan and developed the site drainage system.
As the project took concrete shape, there were several defining moments for Saikat. Heading the list was completing a project of such complexity and within budget despite the challenges including several unforeseen technical issues. “In our project scope, we had a 4 km underground stormwater drain,” he points out. “We convinced the client to use a pre-cast box drain instead of cast in-situ to optimize time.”
“Our success certainly showcases the depth and caliber of our company,” he declares, a true L&T-ite. “It is our ability to undertake complex and challenging projects, often involving cutting-edge technologies, that helps us live up to our promise of making things that make India proud and at the end making ours a better world.” Saikat is all praise for his seniors who, apart from creating a positive and empowering environment, gave constructive feedback to help him identify his strengths and weaknesses, and grow. He is equally appreciative of his team’s support to enhance his skills.
On the digital front, Construction Management Software and data analytics significantly enhanced various aspects of project planning, design, construction, and management.
A native of Chakta, a small village in West Bengal, Saikat is a bachelor who, other than his musical pursuits, enjoys traveling. His most memorable moment was receiving L&T’s offer letter. “It was a culmination of hard work, dedication, and a long journey of preparation,” he says with eyes shining.