With L&T for a decade and a half, Vikas Shamagonda Dhamanna has already been a part of several projects, starting with the Barmer– Salaya Pipeline Project for Cairn Energy, a 600 km crude oil and natural gas pipeline. Completed within 2 years, the project proved a big learning ground for young Vikas. Presently, as Section In-charge at the IRCON Project in Banihal, Jammu & Kashmir, he is executing it amid extremely challenging conditions. “We execute in heavy snowfall at below-freezing temperatures of −7°C, face heavy rainfall and landslides, and more. A part of our preparation is to follow a 10-day weather forecast,” he quips.
Movement of material, workmen mobilization, and ROW are other roadblocks to be overcome which, however, did not deter the team from hitting the ground running. “We successfully mobilized resources within 1 month of receiving the LOI, which was a contractual milestone, all thanks to our 3 months of advance planning,” enthuses Vikas. “The construction material arrived in time despite the transportation challenges, and we contracted local agencies to arrange for the P&M for major concrete work and unloading the electrical equipment.”
Shifting heavy machinery and material over the tough terrain was an equally uphill task, specifically the 7.5–8 ton heavy 33 kV cable to be laid inside the tunnel. “As our access was cut off after the ballast-less track was laid by the civil agency, we fabricated a dip lorry with a capacity of 15 tons with the available resources at site to help us shift and lay the cable drums easily,” shares Vikas, adding that their ‘innovation’ facilitated shifting the 11 kV cable drums, LT cable drums, and LT panels inside the tunnel too.
Vikas recognizes the support and encouragement he has constantly received from his seniors and colleagues over the years, giving him the freedom to think and explore innovative ideas. “Working at L&T has been a life-changing experience,” he says with feeling. “The Company sets high standards and the opportunity to work on different projects has made me a better-rounded person. L&T has had a significant impact on my personal and professional growth; it is a great company to work for and an inspiration for others in the industry,” he declares.
Born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, to Shamagonda and Mangal Dhamanna, Vikas is married to Mayuri, a homemaker, and they are blessed with a daughter, Prachi, and a son, Advik. Vikas enjoys walking, exploring new places, and listening to music, but at present he is only hearing the howling wind at his project site as he strives to complete another L&T project of national importance.
STANDING TALL DESPITE TALL CHALLENGES
Vivik Kumar
Construction Manager (Electrical), PT&D IC
21st June 2022. Vivik Kumar and his team will never forget this date, the day when their IRCON project office and store were hit by a landslide. “We suffered a lot of damage, but what touched us most was that the very next day, our Project Manager, Manoj Kumar, and other members of the team, who were staying on the other side of the tunnel, walked through it for approximately 8–9 km to check on us. This gesture of our management makes me proud to be a part of this great organization.”
After becoming a part of L&T at the 2×490 MW NCTPP Stage-II (Unit 5&6) project in Dadri, Vivik is already at his 6th at the USBRL Tunnel T74R and T77 projects in Jammu & Kashmir and by all counts, his most challenging till date. “One of the major challenges we face is about local ROWs,” he shakes his head, “to resolve which we have to use our negotiating skills to ensure that we do not lose any manhours and work proceeds smoothly.” Vivik recalls another instance while working on the DMRC project, “We interfaced with parallel working agencies that helped both the contractors and the Client to keep the project work proceeding smoothly. There, our negotiating skills were appreciated by the higher officials of DMRC,” he smiles.
When executing in a tough hilly terrain, the movement of men, material and equipment has been the team’s most difficult task. “A few tough tasks that we successfully completed were shifting and installing a 1,500 kVA DG set weighing around 24 tons, a 3.15 MVA power transformer weighing around 8 tons, a 800 kVA transformer, 33KV & 11KV GIS panels, despite severe space constraints. We safely installed these with quality and optimally utilizing resources, manpower and time,” Vivik announces triumphantly. He mentions shifting and laying about 17 km of 33 kV 2,000 mm x 3,000 mm cable drums inside the tunnel, with the height of the escape tunnel being 5.2 m and installing 800 kg jet fans at a height of 4 m above the already installed rail track. Vivik is particularly delighted for the appreciation the team received from Whole-Time Director & Senior Executive Vice President (Utilities), Mr. T Madhava Das, during one of his visits for their quality work.
On his personal front, Vivik, who hails from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is married to Pratibha, a homemaker, and they are blessed with two children, Naiya Kalra and Aarav Kalra. Their births are his life’s most memorable moments. “Playing cricket is one of my hobbies and I do get to play on some weekends,” he laughs, though he would certainly like it better to hit his project targets for a six.
WE ARE ALL IN IT TOGETHER
Ramakant Singh
Assistant Manager (IR), PT&D IC
Health is wealth and Ramakant Singh, IR & Admin In-charge at the IRCON Project, has taken this message to heart by taking the initiative to introduce regular health check-ups for the workmen, supervisors, and employees. “Good health is essential to maintain productivity as people can work efficiently,” he says with a serious nod, “and my initiative ensured the seamless flow of work that will go a long way towards completing our project on time.” While keeping people healthy is critical, it is equally important to create and sustain a positive working environment at the site, for which Ramakant focuses on keeping open communication channels with the workmen to understand their concerns and find a common ground.
He is passionate about technology, working diligently to implement digital methods to keep records about workmen and staff at all the 8 sites he has worked at with L&T. “This means that all the important information, especially concerning industrial relations, is digitally stored, making it more organized and accessible, that has streamlined processes and improved efficiency.” At the same time, he is concerned about the lack of understanding among workmen about digitalization. “I’ve organized training sessions to ensure that they are comfortable using digital tools and fully leverage their benefits,” he says, with a clear sense of purpose.
Focussed on his goals, Ramakant makes it a point to involve all team members at his sites in this process. “I make sure that everyone connected to the project, like teammates, leaders, and other stakeholders, are actively engaged and informed,” he notes, “that helps in better communication, smoother teamwork, and overall success.” He is grateful to his mentors and teammates for their strong support. “It’s like having a helpful map from the seniors and having my teammates by my side, making the entire journey more manageable and motivating!” Ramakant remarks positively.
Hailing from Bihar, Ramakant is married to Seema, a homemaker, and they are blessed with a son, Manthan, and a daughter, Antara. When he isn’t busy connecting with his team members, Ramakant likes listening to music.
His most memorable moments? “The birth of my kids, and my first day at L&T,” he answers unhesitatingly. “I am proud to work at L&T because the management genuinely cares about the employees’ well-being and is serious about doing high-quality work while keeping everyone safe. Working here is special, because it’s clear that we value our people and the work we do.”
As Planning In-charge and Interface Manager at PT&D’s IRCON T74R & T77 E&M Works Project, Prince Mishra is executing a project that must contractually meet stringent internal specifications and overcome fierce external conditions. A GET from the 2015 batch, Prince’s primary focus has been to fast-track execution. “By completing civil work and the equipment foundation on priority, we could directly install electrical equipment as soon as we received them at site, saving time,” he points out. “A winch machine for 33 kV and 11 kV cables has speeded up cable laying inside the tunnel, prefabricated roof truss structures have saved us installation time and by developing local vendors, we have better control over executing doors, windows, rolling shutters and false ceiling work.”
The project team’s task has been uphill, executing in a tough and hilly terrain facing extremely low temperatures and even snowfall from November to March. “While workfront clearance inside the tunnel has been challenging, the approval of engineering drawings and vendor credentials have been more so,” he says seriously. “The GTP and MQP of project materials are as per European standards, and we are doing this kind of project for the first time in PT&D IC.” Frequent closure of the National Highway – 44 (Srinagar to Kanyakumari) disrupts the supply chain and the availability of skilled workmen is a perennial headache.
Continuous follow-up with the client to arrange work fronts and close coordination with all concerned agencies for materials, manpower and machinery are Prince’s priorities. “Since the consultant appointed by IRCON is of European origin, arranging approval of GTP of supply material and drawing approvals as per the specifications mentioned in the contract documents is critical and hence, we have identified new vendors to supply materials as per the project requirements.” Additionally, he coordinates with the District Administration and the Traffic Police to fast-track their vehicles. After their plan to deploy workmen from outside J&K adversely affected work and productivity, the team decided to deploy local workmen and train them adequately, that has resulted in higher retention and improved productivity. “Our Align digital tool helps us monitor progress and identify critical activity,” he adds.
Prince is delighted to be a part of a project of national importance. In the realm of personal development, he mentions his new-found habit of writing down his daily and weekly targets, at his Project Manager’s insistence, that has helped him to prioritise and monitor work efficiently.
Born in Darbhanga, Bihar, to Pawan Mishra and Poonam Devi, Prince is married to Nisha Jha, an IT professional working with WIPRO in Bengaluru. To unwind, he runs, walks, cooks, and watches movies. Prominent among his many memorable moments is joining L&T and commissioning the RAPDRP Lucknow Project, his first.
PLAYING DUAL ROLES TO THE BEST OF HIS ABILITY
After completing his M. Tech. in Power System Engineering from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad through GATE, Vishal Rajput joined L&T in 2018 and has since had stints at two PT&D projects: the 66/11 kV GIS and UG Cabling Project at Silvassa followed by the IRCON Project in J&K. At both projects he has been handling execution and planning, but he quickly admits that the challenges he is facing at his present assignment are both more severe and demanding.
“As Execution Engineer, I am responsible to carry out underground HT and LT cable laying, prepare sub-contractor measurements and reconciliations and implement the safety system at site,” he informs, while as Planning Engineer, he prepares timely progress reports and documents for the management, creates subcontractor planning modules, and generates work orders and bills.
“As our second site is away from the main office, I maintain details of material issued to sub-contractors, in line with the details received from the store, to keep track of material and physical stock, avoid issue of excess material and minimize wastage of material.” These issue details are regularly checked to ascertain authenticity.
Technology, automation, and digital solutions are strengthening the team’s hand in execution and Vishal agrees that these solutions are pushing progress and productivity. “Although we are away from the main site office at the other end of the tunnel, we are still able to access all the required drawings and GTPs via OneDrive shared folders,” he mentions, adding that while the Empower App has reduced paper indents, sharing P&M requirements on WhatsApp and Google Docs helps with proper utilization of the P&M assets.
Vishal recognizes the vital role his seniors and teammates have played during his 5-year tenure with L&T, helping him to solve several complex problems. “I’ve learned a lot from how they have been handling things in the past, during both the good and not-so-good times and their different perspectives have been most valuable,” he says gratefully. “My seniors and teammates have been like mentors, speeding up my learning, strengthening our teamwork, always giving useful feedback, and motivating me. They’re a big reason as to why I’ve been able to grow and do well at L&T,” he sums up rousingly.
From Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Vishal loves playing PC games, badminton, and doing physical workouts during his free time. Still single, he relishes the many special moments he has shared with his family. “These are the memories and bonds that are the crucial reasons that drive a person to work hard and live a respectable life,” he says with a faraway look.
OVERCOMING MOUNTAINS OF CHALLENGES TO DELIVER
K Vivek
Senior Engineer (Civil), PT&D IC
Normally, the state of Jammu & Kashmir is associated with romantic Hindi songs picturized against snow-capped peaks, lush meadows, and green valleys. However, for Civil In-charge, K Vivek and the IRCON T-74R and T-77 Tunnel Project team, reality is far harsher. “It is tough to mobilize manpower and other resources in the hilly terrain where we face extreme weather conditions, dangerous roads that are frequently closed, local ROW issues and other security hassles,” he moans, listing his various challenges. The onus on the team is to carefully understand and address each of these challenges for the project to progress.
While progress is vital, it is equally important to innovate to speed up delivery, like carrying out the TMT reinforcement and structural steel fabrication parallelly at a centralised store with a separate team that helped the team reduce wastage and complete the cutand- bend process before time. “By procuring project materials well in advance, we addressed the issues of regular supplies and by mobilizing tower cranes for activities above the first floor, we have reduced lead time for material shifting and, at the same time, increased the productivity,” remarks Vivek with a satisfied look. “We personally motivate our sub-contractors to mobilize skilled manpower from across the country to increase productivity and have constructed the workmen’s camp near the site to make them feel safe and secure.”
Vivek is particularly pleased with the extent of digital implementation at his site, like the use of Align for progress monitoring, MS Project for real-time tracking of progress, and identifying critical paths for proactive action. “With the WISA App, we capture workmen attendance and avoid any unscreened workmen being engaged at the site, while the Empower App has reduced the process of paper indents.” In addition, he mentions the use of the QIR and SHEILD Apps.
A DET from the 2014 batch, Vivek’s best moment was his parents’ pride at his selection by L&T. “I am so impressed by the great respect L&T receives from its clients, consultants, vendors, suppliers, and other stakeholders.” Apart from opportunities to continually learn and grow, professionally and personally, he is thankful to his seniors for their guidance and feedback to improve. “They have motivated me to lead civil works at an early stage of my career and I hope that I have justified my role effectively,” he says sincerely.
Hailing from Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, Vivek’s better half is Dayana, a homemaker, and they are blessed with a daughter, Rithanya. “My hobbies are playing cricket, travelling, and watching movies,” he smiles.
BIS scholar, Abu Hamza’s primary role at PT&D IC’s IRCON Project as Planning Engineer and Digital Ambassador, since joining in 2021, has been to find ways and means of keeping the entire team together and aware of the state and progress of the project. This is even more relevant as their project site is cut off from the rest of the country due to the hilly terrain, severe weather conditions and poor road connectivity. “Often, it feels like we are working in an isolated area,” says Abu with a glance around his site.
“We have introduced a digital notice board to showcase project progress, plans, organizational policies, and other information,” he shares, proud of his effort, “to keep the team informed about developments at the site. We even display birthdays and other special occasions to keep our team members happy and motivated.”
Abu is happy about the various other digital solutions that the site has adopted including Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project that have improved timelines and resource management, the Align and Empower Apps. “These digital tools have collectively enabled data-driven decision-making, proactive risk management, and better overall project coordination, ultimately contributing to improved efficiency,” he says with conviction.
Apart from the geographical isolation and weather conditions, the site team faces perennial problems to mobilize workmen and receive material and equipment in time. Abu and team have been resolute in the face of several challenges. “Work front availability has been another huge issue, but we have stood together and worked as a team, putting in our best efforts to complete the project successfully within the agreed-upon timeline.”
Abu’s two years at L&T thus far have been years of learning, and he is particularly appreciative of the help, guidance and support he has received from Project Manager, Manoj Kumar and Planning Manager, Prince Kumar Mishra. “Their experience and advice have been super valuable,” he smiles eagerly, “and their different perspectives have taught me a bunch.” Proud to be part of a Company that has been recognized as a Great Place to Work, Abu adds enthusiastically: “L&T’s rich legacy of excellence, and involvement in challenging and innovative projects, develops a strong sense of accomplishment in me.”
Hailing from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Abu enjoys his bachelorhood by travelling, exploring new places, and watching movies and sports on weekends. His father, Naim Ahmad Farooqui, is a retired CRPF Inspector, and mother, Zebaish Farooqui, a homemaker. “The moments I share with my family – laughing, being together, and experiencing life as a unit – form a collection of special, everlasting memories. Currently, I’m away from my family, and this separation makes me realize how much those memories mean to me,” he signs off wistfully.
