As a proud L&T-ite, Shankar Kumar is enjoying an engineer’s privilege of being associated with projects of national importance. The RVNL Package – 2 Project is his 5th with L&T where he is P&M In-charge. “To carry out the challenging duties assigned to me, I have always thought critically to find engineering solutions for maximum efficiency with minimum cost,” he elaborates. “In my role, I leverage technology, automation, and digital solutions to significantly enhance our ability to drive progress, improve efficiency, and ensure the overall effectiveness of maintenance and operations on-site.”
A whole array of aspects require his constant attention at work, and he studiously enumerates them: equipment breakdowns, maintenance scheduling, safety concerns, resource management, environmental compliance, budget constraints, advanced technology integration, logistics & transportation, project coordination, regulatory compliance, operator training, emergency response, sustainability, remote monitoring and more. “I use a combination of technical expertise, effective planning, communication, and problem-solving skills to minimize downtime and maximize productivity,” he shares his approach. “Such a proactive and holistic approach that considers safety, preventive measures, data-driven insights, and collaboration eases the method of critical work as a P&M In-charge.”
It is Shankar’s responsibility to ensure the quality of work related to machinery and equipment, for which he needs to be constantly on his guard to address issues cropping up during operations that can potentially impact overall effectiveness and efficiency. “Setting clear quality standards, conducting quality audits and inspections, continuous improvement initiatives, crisis management, leadership, training and skill development, and celebrating successes and failures are a few critical ones.”
He is delighted for the opportunity to present some of the new initiatives and ideas they had implemented at the RVNL Project at the F&A Conference 2022-23 at Haridwar. “These included some of our digital initiatives,” he points out, “sharing about their transformative potential and how our project was realizing their benefits.”
“My seniors help and always push me whenever I pitch an idea,” he shares, enjoying their mentorship, guidance, and knowledge sharing. “My Project Manager’s risk mitigation strategies have always helped us make informed decisions to assess and manage the risks associated with innovative solutions,” he remarks with gratitude.
A native of Pithoragarh in Uttrakhand, Shankar is married to Savita Devi, a homemaker, and they are blessed with three children, Akansha, Arpita, and Ayush Kumar. When not minding P&M, Shankar loves to read novels and keep himself updated about current affairs. “My life’s most memorable moment has been to receive the L&T HCI IC Town Hall Award 2023 for best P&M Practice,” he says with a feeling of being on top of the world.
FORGING AHEAD WITH A ZEAL TO LEARN
Nannapaneni Srimaan
Assistant Manager (Planning & Contracts), HCI IC
In 2018, Nannapaneni Srimaan joined the Durgam Cheruvu Cable- Stayed Bridge Project in Hyderabad as a GET, where he was initially deployed as the Execution Engineer for cast in-situ works and rebar yard management. “Further, I was given the role of Planning Engineer responsible for scheduling, costing, and billing,” he recalls. Currently at the RVNL Package-2 Project, Srimaan is the Contracts Manager, which, he admits, was not his expertise initially. “I grab all opportunities coming my way to learn and excel in my current role,” he astutely notes. “Thankfully, our IC Contracts Heads and Project Managers, both previous and current, have always been supportive, encouraged debates and are sources of strength.”
Innate attributes like attention to detail and shrewd logical reasoning have helped Srimaan quickly pick up the nuances of his new function. “The pandemic kept me on my toes and pushed me to research deep into contracts and claims management.” In addition to direct claims, Srimaan focuses on interpretation claims too. “We successfully realized these by taking the customer into confidence through end-to-end follow-ups and periodic meetings with the client billing team.”
He considers ‘Knowledge-Sharing Thursdays’ as one of the defining initiatives at which all Department In-charges and their delegates deliver sessions on their area of expertise to promote crossdepartmental learning.
Owing to the remoteness of their project, communication has been a bottleneck. “As the nominated Digital Champion for the project, I have played a key role in establishing a robust internet-based tunnel communication system, implemented for the first time in the country,” Srimaan mentions with a winning air. “Our project has always been ‘pro digital’, and we have deployed a third-party PIMS application with various modules for all key stakeholders to access real-time updates.”
Recognition for his good work has come in the form of awards and recognition. “I have won the ‘Best Contracts Manager’ Award at HCI IC’s Contracts Conclave 2022 and the ‘Young Achiever – Contracts Management’ Award at the previous HCI IC Townhall,” he shares proudly. “While contributing to the organization’s success has always given me immense pleasure, the management’s recognition has made it all the more worthwhile and memorable,” he beams. Achieving the first breakthrough at the project with perfect alignment, ahead of schedule, is another memorable moment for Srimaan. “We were the fastest among all the contractors working on adjacent packages of the project.”
A native of Hyderabad, Srimaan is still a bachelor and likes to spend time reading fiction, working out, and watching movies. “To be honest, managing time was a challenge initially,” he remarks with a knowing smile. “But after a couple of years, I have got the hang of it.”
TRAVERSING SUBTERRANEAN GROUNDS
Divyanshu Sharma
Conctsruction Manager (Tunnel), HCI IC
After a strenuous day’s work at the complex RVNL Project, Divyanshu Sharma loves to unwind listening to old Hindi classics and watching cricket. He, however, takes immense pride in being a part of an organization that executes the biggest, tallest, and largest projects, handling the entire spectrum from successful missions to the moon and sun to laying pipes in the most remote villages. “L&T helps engineers like me to grow and develop into true professionals,” he states with awe and gratitude.
Joining L&T as a site engineer at the Allain Duhangan Hydro Electric Project, Divyanshu has enjoyed the opportunity to be associated with a few interesting projects including the iconic Medigadda Project. Presently, at the RVNL Package 2 Project he is responsible for tunnel secondary lining activities at one of the sites.
“Our biggest challenge was to complete the project ahead of schedule, for which we had to work in parallel on the mining and lining and, at the same time, ensure that none of the other site activities were affected,” he lays out his task. After analysing their situation, the team adopted a bold methodology to prepare the lining in the secondary tunnel even as the main tunnel was being excavated. “By doing both the lining and mining together, we completed the lining of the Main Tunnel 2 ahead of time.” Having hit upon a winning method, they are continuing the process, and Divyanshu chuckles that engineers from other sites are visiting the RVNL site to learn their method and implement it at theirs.
Initially, however, the going was tough as the team faced adverse conditions due to heavy water ingress and collapses in the excavation work. There was also the continuous requirement of both shotcrete and concrete for lining activities because, while eight of the tunnel faces required shotcrete, two needed concrete, from a single batching plant. It has been bit of a balancing act, but the team has prevented any idling due to a shortage of shotcrete or concrete.
Divyanshu is happy that the team has been toiling tirelessly to ensure there are no stoppages of work due to their several challenges. “I enjoy their collaboration and support to achieve a common goal, the warm work environment, and the motivation to go beyond boundaries,” he says, voicing his appreciation.
On the technology front, while WiFi and intercom connectivity have ensured better internal communication, the Con-Ease App is providing better visibility to track the concrete transit mixture status from the plant to site.
Married to Mridul Sharma, a civil engineer in the Himachal Pradesh Irrigation Department, Divyanshu’s life’s most memorable moment was when he held their lovely daughter, Ivaanya, for the first time.