2005-10

2005-10

The only package in NHAI in Orissa was finally completed in Jun 06 and I stayed one more month upto Jul 06.

In the month of Mar 06, I got an offer of a top job in Keonjhar Infrastructure Dev Co, which I differed by 3 months, and finally joined on 1 Jul on part time basis and 1 Aug on full time basis. The new company sent me on a foreign trip to Germany to negotiate with a company Wirtgen for supply of machines on hire, which I succeeded, but with foam bitumen road. Since we decided for a concrete road further negotiation were done by our eminent Vice Chairman and deal was through. This road is only 28 Km two laning on NHAI standard on a village road which is for mining trucks loaded with 20 t load, and was in a dilapidated state.

After several changes latest was to build a Foam bitumen layer over which a Continuous concrete pavement will be laid. This is the first time in India with foam bitumen and only composite pavement of bitumen and concrete. Since no major contractor was willing to do the work, we had to award to a local one without tender for the base work and CD works numbering 85.

  

Simultaneously I got an offer of Resident Engineer for the longest rail bridge of the state in a consultancy SOWiL- Halcrow JV and did join on 21 Aug. I used to commute daily to Jagatpur just across Cuttack and work was very interesting. The days when I go to the Keonjhar I used leave without pay.

This is the 2^nd rail bridge across Mahanadi and of a length of 2.1 Km longest in the state. Gammon India was the contractor for substructure in the conventional well foundation except one with caisson. The change on the original drawing is of the abutment at Cuttack side, where a road is passing under the last span. For this I had to design a retaining wall on the approach of the embankment.

The superstructure is of open web girder and the contractors are BBJ.

The numbers of spans are 32 each of 65.84 m. and the entire fabrication by welding cum riveting was done at the site as against the railways pattern of fabricating at workshop and transporting to site. The erection was by incremental launching with one anchor span erected on the left approach embankment. The connection between the anchor span and span to be erected is by a linking specially designed, which is repeatedly used for subsequent spans.

The design consultants have completed their job before tendering. All the changes has to be done at site. I found this an opportunity in picking up CAD operation in the computer, so that I do not depend on the project office. My personal contribution was complete as far as the CRC road diversion on Cuttack side with necessary changes in abutment design, new design of huge retaining walls and reducing the depth of sinking from -32 to -20, ie 12 meters.

Working with railway engineers with their inflated egos was difficult, but eventually they accepted that I know the job.

Meanwhile Keonjhar project was stopped due to non contribution of stakeholders share and non availability of loans from the banks. I approached ILFS for finance and they have become our PMC in place of the one SM Consultants. They succeeded in getting a contractor fixed. 

Meanwhile the other job of Rail Bridge was going so fast, that ADB, RVNL were of the opinion that this is only project which is in time and cost. A lot of people visited the site including MoS Railways Mr Velu.

On the Keonjhar side government called a meeting and threatened to take away the work. I resigned the job of CEO, but was kept as an Advisor chargeable to OSIL instead of Kidco effective 1 Mar 08. 

 Even though the bridge proper was completed in time the track laying both on the bridge and approaches took a long time. These works are sub let to 2 parties, who have no resources, and therefore RVNL took direct charge in order to expedite. The supply of SEJs and channel sleepers with fittings were also delayed. Ultimately the double engine passed through at 10,20and 30 km/h for testing of deflection and lateral shift on 1 Jul 08.

The Commissioner of Railway Safety gave the clearance on 18^th Jul and trains started running from 19^th, the fastest ever in Railways. The Chairman of Railway Board formally inaugurated and flagged off on 26^th stating that this project has been completed with no time or cost overrun and congratulated RVNL, consultants and the contractors on excellent quality work with good progress.

My services came to an end on 31 Dec 08, but was asked to continue. Then a bombshell fell on 14 Jan 10 of non approval of the extension. Meanwhile the Project Manager at Bhubaneswar resigned and finally left on 1 Apr 09, and I was asked to look after the job till July end for Mahanadi and KT projects. The approval was however was for Mahanadi only, in order to make the final bill, variation statement etc. There was a further extension upto end of Aug, for which the salary was not paid by SOWiL yet. I completed all the above except handing over the documents and equipment to RVNL.

The above period was under Jupiter’s 4^th house aspect. It shifted to 5^th house on 19 Dec 09 and my interview for the next assignment was on 20 Dec at Pal Height. Posting for the post of Construction Engineer in Meinhardt Singapore Pte Ltd at Bhubaneswar came on 22^nd and I joined on 23^rd.When I approached the clients OWSSB, they asked for approved cv and a letter from the company. This continued till 15^th Jan. Team Leader joined on 20^th and real work started in Feb 10.The name of the project was Integrated Sewerage system under 12^th Finance Commission and JnNURM for 6 sewerage districts.

The construction work was awarded 2 years back to ECCI Chennai,for dist I, II, III,which we are to supervise, along with additional work of survey, design and execution for the remaining districts.

After a long time I was the first to join and there was no office, and the clients refused to accept me since there is no official communication from the company. This continued for a fortnight after which there was a semblance of activities. A chap came from head office for fixing a house for office which was under construction, which we could occupy only on 10 Feb, 10.fans could come by 20 Mar 10.Salary comes in installments that too for a foreign company.

Finally I gave a notice ending on 31 Jul 10, while the company released on 31 Aug 2010.

Then another Sen of the Railways forced one co McML System Pvt Ltd to take me as a Project Manager for 3^rd railway line from Jakhapura to Haridaspur with hq at Badachana.I worked there from 1 Nov to 16 Nov and left due to food and other logistic problem.

Finally after 15 years post retirement work, I hope I finally retired but not tired, and am existing but not living a meaningful life.