1965-70

1965-70

The sinking of the wells was done in the shape of steel caissons, floated into position and filled with concrete. The rest of the operartion was by conventional methods. The concrete was done from floating barges with cranes, conct mixers and material ferried from the bank. This was done by one Chanda Engineers.

With my limited experience, I found that the wells are tilting beyond permissible limits, which can never be rectified. So we found a method of counter balancing and building the well cap. Next was cracking of wells, and we attributed to the revised draft bridge code, and got away with it. As a rectification we put a rcc ring around the wells to prevent further cracking. At the same time Gammons had a well cracking at Rupnarayan, and they had to sink another well by changing the span.

Then we found by constructing from both ends there was a large gap, due to defective survey done by the department. For this we built a small span, and got extra payment for the extra length.

The last but not the least was that due to tilting of the wells, the alignment of the bridge was not a straight line, and we provided a slight curvature. My brother who was an electrical engineer used to tease me that the bridge will collapse, but till date it is standing safe and sound.

The work was new to me but we successfully cast the 70 tonnes beam, prestressed and launched them on the piers already cast.

During this period there was a mali, who used to have visions, and predicted 2 years and 10 months stay at Bhutmundi, and lo and behold this happened. I was posted to Jajpur Road to build a Ferro Chrome plant of IDC. The consultants were WS Atkins, and there was one Roy as their rep, the owners having MVCL Rao my batchmate. There was a keralite GM, who had come from germany. Being an electrical engineer, he gave me full authority in construction of both rcc and steel structures.

It was a small house but in a permanent colony about a Km from the town and 3 Km from the rail station. The great events are monthly sikar with a doctor friend of mine and sighting the first panther in the forest. Then a serious railway accident just ahead of our qrs and a servant who vanished after taking the loot may be from the dead bodies. The third is buying my first car from a uncle of mine who cheated by replacing the tyres.Then the third daughter was born here, who died at an early age.

Yes shikar went like this:- We took along a school teacher whose father was the shikari of Sukinda Raja. He had a double-barreled gun and a rifle, which I took. The searchlight showed two panthers, I trekked all the way into the forest. One of the panthers came in a circle keeping safe distance onto the road. I took a kneeling position to take a definite kill, but which time the schoolteacher took the rifle from me and shot. I had to give in as the rifle belongs to him. He naturally missed by a foot, and I could see the bullet hitting the ground. I promised to buy a gun then and there. We had other several trips but with a rabbit or two.

The Ferrochrome plant was an achievement for me in industrial structures, consisting of steel and rcc foundations including coal handling, rotary kilns and power stations. There were Swedes experts, including one with a beautiful wife staying in the guesthouse. The food was excellent where I stayed in the guesthouse when my family was not there. There was a manager who takes care of me. 

In ’69 I took over Taldanda canal bridge for the railway’s paradip line in addition to my job. I used to stay in a rented guesthouse while at cuttack, and the work was interesting if not challenging. In this also one foundation was rejected by the railways, since we couldn’t dewater fully, and a new foundation with changed span was built. The achievement of getting all deviations accepted in expressway was not possible with the rigid railways engineers.

Then I got posted as headquaters prj eng at Bhubaneswar, and immediately I got in the Flying club, which I had cherished for a long time.During my engineering college days I wanted to join the local flying club, but the college timings were not suitable. Here I got an office job, and was at the Airport which was 5 km from my residence at Madhusudan nagar, The Chief pilot was one Chatterji who became my friend, along with one Jha, who had left the air force and joined as a asst flying instructor. For some time there was one wing commander and much later Mahapatra. I was at the club at 6 am for one year, except when am on tour. Did my solo in 12 hrs and completed 60 mandatory hours in one year.

My job involved the central store, procurement and small projects not having prj mgrs, viz paradip port monoliths, industrials buildings at cuttack, transmission tower foundations at narsighpur and dav school at phulbani. This involved tour of one week in a month. Tours mean shikar on the way, mostly birds and small animals.