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Issue No:

! L&T’s International Thrustin the Gulf Region 3

! Al Jazeera Tower, Qatar 8

! Hamad Medical City,Doha, Qatar 10

! Raslaffan Power Plant, Qatar 12

! Diplomat ServicedApartments, Bahrain 14

! Electricity & Water TrainingInstitute, Kuwait 17

! G-200 Bed Hospital Project,Saudi Arabia 19

! 3 X 100 Bed Hospital,Saudi Arabia 22

! Construction ofSchool buildings,Saudi Arabia 24

! Qassim CementExpansion Project,Saudi Arabia 27

! Wadi-Abdoun cablestayed bridge, Jordan 28

! Swami Vivekananda InternationalConvention Centre, Mauritius 33

! Re-developed Kensington Oval,Barbados 38

! 161 kV Transmission Line,Substations and AssociatedSystem, Suriname 43

! 17 km Belt Conveyor for theLafarge Surma Cement Plant,Bangladesh 45

Vol. 30 No. 1 & 2 April - June 2007

ECC, has been making a significant contribution to the Infrastructure Development not only in India but also toseveral countries across the globe. In fact L&T’s international presence has been increasing with many new ordersand it is venturing into many unprecedented destinations.

Part – I InternationalIn this issue of ECC Concord, we present to you excerpts of the interview we had with our Mr. V.B Gadgil, EVP &Head - B&UI and PT&D Sector Business (GCC Countries). We also feature articles on projects executed by ECCin Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Mauritius, West Indies, Bangladesh, Suriname etc.

Part – II International will focus on projects in UAE and Oman. This will be brought to you in the forthcoming issueof ECC Concord.

Ebene Cyber Tower, Mauritius Gas gathering station, Zirku Island,Abu Dhabi

500m Limbang bridge, Malaysia

Zernograd Township, Russia Hotel Bukhara, Uzbekistan

! Kaleidoscope

! New Orders 49

! Projects Commissioned 51

! Awards 54

! Performance for the quarterended June 30, 2007 57

! L&T Celebrates HenningHolck-Larsen’s BirthCentenary 58

! Construction Summit 60

Editor: V. S. RamanaEditorial Team: K. Sridharan, Alex Benjamin, V. D. S. Prasad, V. Ramesh Kumar, Ashwin Chand, V. Eswar, Subha Anand

Photography: V. S. Natanavelu Cover Design & Layout: Romaa Communications

IN THIS ISSUE

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“There is high potential for infrastructure projects

in the GCC Countries and operating in the

international market requires enhanced strength and

expertise, which is vital for the future. Privatization

and partnerships are key issues in the international

market and this depends to a large extent on the

capital entities. In tune with the changing scenario,

L&T is looking into the emerging opportunities in

‘Real Estates’ and ‘Public-Private-Partnerships’ as

a part of its Developmental Projects Business.”

Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) is atechnology-driven engineering andconstruction organization, and one of thelargest companies in India’s private sector.It has made a significant contribution tokey sectors of the economy not only in Indiabut also several countries in theinternational market. It has an internationalpresence, with a global spread of officesand joint ventures with world leaders.

Indian Multi-national

L&T’s international presence is increasing,with worksites in more than twenty countriesthat encompass South Asia, South EastAsia, the Middle East, Russia, CIS andAfrican countries.

In view of its geographical proximity,complementary capabilities and culturalaffinity with the Gulf Countries, L&T plansto step up its involvement and looks forwardto building a stable and long-termrelationship with all GCC countries andseeks to build further on its historicalassociation with the Region as well asemerging markets in the African Countries.

As a business conglomerate with interestsand capabilities in engineering, technologyand construction, L&T has the uniqueadvantage of offering its customersintegrated services with single pointresponsibility for meeting theirrequirements. And it is well placed tocontribute significantly to growth anddevelopment in the region with its highlytalented pool of experienced personnel andskilled workmen. Thus, It has a successfultrack record in building severalinfrastructure development projects acrossmany countries in the Region. L&T’s salesfor the year ending 2006-07 exceeds USD5 billion. A thrust on international businessover the last few years has seen overseasearnings growing to 18 per cent of totalrevenue.

Construction Division

ECC – the Engineering Construction &Contracts Division of Larsen & ToubroLimited - is India’s largest constructionorganisation. It undertakes engineering,design and construction of infrastructureand industrial projects covering everydiscipline of engineering. It has made asignificant contribution to infrastructuredevelopment, specifically in the area of

V. B. Gadgil, Executive Vice President & Head - B&UIand PT&D Sector Business (GCC Countries)

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construction of highways, bridges, airports,urban infrastructure, refineries andpetrochemical plants, water supply includingtreatment and distribution, power plantsincluding transmission & distributionprojects, telecommunication and so on.

ECC is one of the few constructionorganisations in India, which undertakesinfrastructure projects through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) route. With itscapabilities and commitment, ECC willcontinue to make a vital contribution to theinfrastructure development of differentNations.

With innovative techniques that quicken thepace of construction and comprehensivecapabilities in engineering and constructionservices, ECC can meet every challenge ofcomplex design, stringent time frames andlogistics. State-of-the-art techniques andstrategic alliances have helped the Companyset new standards, both national andglobal.

Due to its adherence to stringent standardsof quality, compliance with safetyregulations and timely delivery of projects,the clients look upon ECC as a dependableconstruction partner. ECC continues tomaintain these qualities of leadership in allits projects and has secured wide

recognition from its clients, customers,consultants and credit rating agencies aswell as many construction industry forumsin India and abroad.

As India’s largest constructionorganization, L&T has executedcomprehensive construction projects in theareas of fertilizer and petrochemicals,airports, townships, hotels, public buildings,bridges, transmission lines, water treatmentplants, hydro-electric power stations andirrigation structures in various countries -the Middle East, South East Asia, Russia,CIS, Mauritius, African and SAARCcountries. L&T also has keen interest in themarkets of Indian Ocean rim countries,Africa and Latin America.

Global Benchmarking

Mr. K.V. Rangaswami, President(Construction) & Member of the Board,L&T, said “Most of the leading Indianconstruction companies are definitely on parwith their foreign counterparts in terms ofquality, and even in terms of adoption oftechnology. Today, most of the projects aresecured on international competitive biddingand many of the domestic players arebagging orders abroad, particularly in GCC,where the competition is with reputed global

players. The stringent pre-qualificationnorms for most of the projects call foradoption of latest technology in line withthe international standards. There is ofcourse, scope for further improvement inareas of certain high-end technologies,safety and productivity.

Construction automation is one area wherethe global players are much ahead of us.With need of fast track projects, I am sureIndian companies too will start looking atthis area to be at part with global leaders.

Winning Edge

We are equipped with the requisite expertiseand wide-ranging experience to undertakelump-sum turnkey projects with single-source responsibility. Our projects areexecuted using latest design tools andproject management techniques. We alsohave a large fleet of plant and machineryand over 11,000 highly efficient engineers,covering all engineering streams. Anotheradvantage that we have is a Pan India andglobal presence of over 20 countries.

Productivity

We have earned a good name in adhering tothe time schedule and our commitment to

Abu Dhabi International Airport

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quality. Our engineering strengths and valuestilt the scale in our favour, especially inwinning major projects.

Internally, we aim at excellence in projectmanagement and cost optimization. As apart of our cost optimization initiatives, weare sourcing steel from China, cement fromPakistan, and enhancing our productivityin supply chain management.

While speaking Mr. V. B. Gadgil (VBG),Executive Vice President & Head – B&UIand PT&D Sector Business (GCCCountries) in connection with ECC’sInternational Operations, including themarket potential and boominginfrastructure development in GCCCountries, he introspected and sharedseveral interesting points.

The Early Years

VBG reminisced that it has been steadyprogress during the last 30 and odd yearsfor L&T in the international market. Theclassic “Bridge on the River Kwai” was thefirst international project executed by ECCin 1956, following which orders weresecured in Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Iraq, Srilanka,Malaysia, Russia, Mauritius includingSAARC countries. The first milestoneachievement in terms of volume and valueof contract secured was the Abu Dhabi

International Airport in 1976. We werenominated sub-contractors to the JapaneseJoint Venture in this project. Abu DhabiAirport apart from serving as a gateway toUAE opened ECC’s gateway to theinternational market, particularly in theMiddle East. Thus it became the precursorfor many projects that we secured later.

With the formation of L&T (Oman) LLC(LTO), at Muscat, L&T established a firmfooting in Oman, during 1994. LTO wasborn through a strategic alliance and jointventure between L&T-India and The Zubair

Corporation, a leading business group ofSultanate of Oman. Once again L&T startedmaking inroads in to UAE as a registeredCorporation in 1996, when theconstruction boom was upbeat and MiddleEast was becoming a hot bed ofinfrastructure development. Severalcontracts for the execution of powertransmission and distribution projects weresecured directly by ECC in Abu Dhabi. In1999 L&T Saudi Arabia LLC wasincorporated in Riyadh as a joint venturebetween L&T and a local Saudi National.Now we have altogether 7 offices in the

Stadium for Al Rayyan Sports Club at Qatar

Indian Embassy in Kuwait

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Songo-Songo gas pipeline, Tanzania

Gulf Region – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman,Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Sharjahto take care of the Middle East operations.

Middle East Market

VBG views the Middle East as anunforgiving market. He says “One has totread carefully to pick up the right kind of

project and ensure that a good brand imageis built step by step”. The managementguideline “Take only what you can deliver”is closely followed when it comes tooperations in Middle East. While JointVentures depend on the business policy ofthe GCC Countries, he says that “In UAEwe are on our own whereas in Oman andSaudi Arabia we have a partnership firms.

The business prospects particularly forelectrical and building sectors augur wellfor L&T in the next 8 to 10 years. And wehave very good prospects in the WaterSector, particularly in the BOT projects anddesalination plants.”

Africa will be the next destination; tappingthe developing market and establishing anearly presence would be the key to L&T’sstrategy here. He specifically identifiedGhana, Uganda, Kenya as the likelybusiness destinations. Contrary to thenotion that locations in Africa are unsafe,VBG advocates close study of the politicalsituation and competing for internationallyfunded projects as a secure strategy forL&T operations.

Core Competence

L&T has extensive experience andcapabilities for executing Building & UrbanInfrastructure as well as PowerTransmission & Distribution projects.Leveraging on these resources andexploiting the core strengths, he said “TheCompany is continuously performing welland posting around 20% revenues. Inaddition, specialized skills with necessarybackup of human resources and machineryplay a key role in completing the projectswith quality and time. In view of this, hesaid “The Company has increased its staff

Fujairah-Dhaid transmission line towers, Abu Dhabi

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and labour to commendable limits and it isin the process of creating an internationalworkforce. Moreover, an investing companyof L&T namely “L&T International” wasfounded to cut down the process time andenable investing in subsidiaries and JVs inInternational market.

VBG says “Rentals form a major portionof one’s expenditure in the Gulf Region”and by establishing our ownaccommodation we are able to strengthenand sustain our staff and workmenavailability. As GCC Countries are governedby stringent standards with regard toworkmen accommodation, it is importantto have our own workers’ camp or colony.

RMC Business

In January 2007, L&T entered the ReadyMix Concrete business in Dubai and we haveinstalled 2 high capacity batching plantswith a large fleet of transmit mixers, andthe operating model of this is very differentfrom the Indian scenario. Unlike targetingevery segment of the industry, it is set withan objective of targeting the big league inthe construction industry there.

Safety

VBG attributes safety as a key parameterin enhancing market value and building theclient base. One of the main reasons forsecuring “repeat orders” in the Gulf Regionis due to L&T’s high safety and qualitystandards. The Company has set globalbenchmarks in safety and quality applicationand innovative construction methods. As aresult of this, it is continuously seen as a

Quality Contractor by International Safety/Quality Regulatory Authorities.

Human Resource

To cater to the training requirements of ourstaff and workmen in the GCC countries,Management has identified strategiclocations at UAE, and Oman.

As international operations benchmarkswith global standards, L&T is committed tocreating an international workforce.Currently few in numbers, VBG views themultinational workforce would be suitablystrengthened as demands grow.

There is a practice of grading thecontractors’ based on the multinationalworkforce we employ. However, statutoryrequirement with regard to multinationalsvaries among different countries and wehave no choice but to follow the stipulatednorms. Visa charges applicable for eachcountry are based on the given grading.

The government/ client controls the gradingand it is essential that one is in the goodbooks of the local administration.

Workmen are subject to immigrationformalities and are briefed with regard tothe local rules and administrationformalities, to ensure that they don’t violatethe local laws.

Even though workmen are our liability inthe international projects, they indirectlyhave a bearing on our deliverables throughthe gradings. Hence, every care is taken tosee that staff and workmen adheres to theset rules and regulations without fail.

International Thrust

On the whole he said “There is high potentialfor infrastructure projects in the GCCCountries and operating in the internationalmarket requires enhanced strength andexpertise, which is vital for the futureasserts VBG”. Going further, he said“Privatization and partnerships are keyissues in the international market and thisdepends to a large extent on the capitalentities. In tune with the changing scenario,L&T is looking into the emergingopportunities in ‘Real Estates’ and ‘ Public-Private- Partnerships’ as a part of itsDevelopmental Projects Business too”.

Ju’aymah gas insulated substation, Saudi Arabia

Gas gathering station at Kuwait

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Qatar, with its highest per capita income inthe Middle East, is all set to be the frontrunner in the region for infrastructuredevelopment with its massive investmentplans. Year 2004 marked the beginning ofrejuvenation in Qatar’s construction scenewith the unveiling of many projects cateringto the Asian Games, which the countryhosted in December 2006.

Hosting the games was a part of Qatar’svision to place the country as the desireddestination on the world map to attracttourists. The 100s of sky scrappers underconstruction in the capital city Doha is atestimony to the country’s buoyantconstruction industry. Al-Jazeera TowerProject is one among such venture, which ispart of the all-new image of Doha WestBay area.

The Project

“Al-Jazeera Hotel Tower” is an RCC framedstructure having 2 basements, groundfloor, 36 upper floors and two level roofdecks with a total built up area of 41475sqm. The total height of the building is 155m from ground floor level. The building islocated in West Bay Area, which is one ofthe most beautiful places in Doha city andbetter known as “Al Corniche”. The buildingis few meters away from Persian Gulf andsurrounded by newly constructedskyscrapers.

Initially the project was conceived as aresidential tower. After eight months fromcommencement, the owner HE Shk DrJassim Bin Nasser Al Thani, changed thestructure into a hotel tower, considering thelucrative business prospects. However, theconcept of the building was changed furtherto office tower after 14 months fromcommencement of the project. The proposedoffice tower comprises office space toaccommodate approximately 650 officialsfrom M/s Qatar Gas.There will be exclusiveoffices for CEO and Minister on top floorsof the tower.

The two basements facilitates parking for266 cars and accommodates other buildingservices like transformer substation, plantroom and water tanks. The exterior finishof the building is done by aluminiumcomposite panel and glazing. The project ismanaged and financed by Qatar IslamicBank. M/s MZ Partners are theArchitectural and structural consultants,

Constraints

Storing, accessing and moving materials is amajor constraint due to the limited spacewithin the external walls of the building.Further, road excavation on 3 sides of thebuilding restricted the movement. To facilitatestorage space, the central portion of the carparking area, which was not in the criticalpath, was left free at raft level while the otherstructure was taken up in normal course oftime. This was used as storage space and theoffice portable cabins were erected at theground floor parking slab. Also the Just intime inventory management system wasfollowed.

The construction boom in Qatar had a seriouscrunch and a heavy demand for resources fromsupport industries like cement, steel and otherraw materials. This had resulted in irregularsupply and abnormal escalation on all supplyitems. This made the site think tank busy tosource materials from neighboring countrieslike Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

supervised by M/s United Consultants andexecuted by M/s Larsen & Toubro QatarLLC. The project is one among the tallestbuilding in the region with a height of 155m.

Commencing the works in January 2005,the project is to be completed by September7, 2007 as per the initial proposal. Howeverdue to various changes, the project isrescheduled for completion by July 2007.

Resources & Logistics

The work force comprises 450 workmenfrom different parts of Asia. Major Plant& machineries deployed at the projectinclude: 2 tower cranes, one mobile crane,2 concrete pumps of 75 Cum capacity andone twin cage passenger hoist of 2tcapacity. Ready mix concrete is sourcedfrom the local vendors. Majority of thefinishing materials are imported fromvarious part of the world through localdealers.

AL Jazeera Tower, Qatar, standing tall amidst other buildings

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Major Scope of Works

Description Quantity! Concrete work : 20,958 Cum! Hollow Core Slab : 14,932 Sqm! Reinforcement : 3,609 tons! Formwork : 83,343 Sqm! Masonry Work : 41,817 Sqm! Water Proofing : 12,724 Sqm! Plastering : 67,376 Sqm! Flooring : 54,957 Sqm! Painting : 70,385 Sqm! False ceiling : 28,159 Sqm! ACP & Str. Glazing : 20,668 Sqm

In addition, changes in concept design andother features twice in between the projectwas a major set back to the constructionactivity. A considerable amount of time waslost in getting the revised details anddismantling the already constructedfacilities. However, team L&T rose to theoccasion by helping the client in finalizingthe design with the required inputs andsuggestions.

Construction Methods

Targeted to achieve a cycle of 7 days perfloor, made L&T to provide alternativesolutions - different ways to cast thecolumns, lift core and slab. The lift corewas cast ahead of the slabs and columnswere cast by using L&T climbing formworksystem. The positioning of climbing towercrane at one end of the lift core and theconcrete placer boom at other end was awell-planned move and proved to be thedriving force of the project.

The 7 day cycle for the floor slab wasachieved by the coordinated efforts ofproject team, which included the NorthKorean subcontractor labourers, supportedby well-maintained equipments and bestefforts of P&M team at site.

As per the initial design, the outsideshuttering of the lift core was supposed tobe done with L&T automatic climbingformwork and the inside with conventionalmethod of assembling / removing the formsafter each pour. However due to the crashingof the project schedule and to reduce thecrane usage, Formwork Competency Cell(FCCE) designed a special system by whicheven the inside shutters were made part ofthe automatic climbing system. At the endof July 2007 all major civil and MEP worksare completed and interior works are inprogress including testing andcommissioning of MEP works.

Sushant Shah DeoProject Manager

Front elevation showing external cladding works

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Hamad Medical City is the first majorproject bagged by L&T in Qatar afterformulating the local company – L&T QatarLLC. The landmark project is an importantstructure in city of Doha and was used as agames village during the 2006 Asian games.Located in a 36.5 hectare plot, the contractinvolved the execution of various packagesexecuted by different companies. Thisincluded Residential buildings, Admin &Recreation Buildings, Central Energy Plant& Infrastructure Package, Underpass &Road works, Hospital Building etc.

L&T joined hands with a local firm M/sHamad Bin Khalid Contracting Company(HBK) in a 50:50 Joint venture to executethe package CP306 (a) in the HamadMedical City which involved constructionof two buildings viz. Ministry of PublicHealth Building (MOPH) and the Staff Club.

Building Engineering Department ofGovernment of Qatar is the client; M/s HillInternational Inc. of USA is the projectmanagement consultant. The Architect,Design & Supervision Consultants are ‘TheFederation of Design and ConstructionServices’ of Thailand (FEDCON).

The first seven floors of the eight-storiedMOPH building accommodates office space

(30000 Sqm area) and mechanical servicesare provided on the top floor. The buildingalso has a small basement in the lift lobbyarea. The ground floor is connected via alarge atrium to an adjacent multi-storied520 nos. capacity car park. The car parksection includes a 300-seat auditorium onthe roof.

The second building – Staff club is a threestoried building comprising of recreationaland accommodation facility for the use ofstaff and hospital guest. This 8640-sqmbuilding has a spa, gymnasium; squashcourts, swimming pool and other sportsfacilities with 50 hotel type guest rooms.

Main finishes for MOPH & SC Buildingsinvolved:

Curtain wall and glazing works, lime stonecladding, granite tiling and gypsum partitionand carpets.

Car park facade consists of mainly precastpanels and aluminum louvers with GRCdecorative cladding.

Other specialized services include - elevatorsand escalator, fire detection and alarmsystem, building management system, audiovisual and transmission system executed by

Nominated Sub-contractors.

Total of 15 L&T staff are working shoulderto shoulder with 15 staff from JointVenture partner in a seamless workingenvironment in this 50:50 Joint VentureProject site.

Construction Method

The Thai Consultants M/s FEDCONadopted a uniform structural design for allthe buildings in the premises. It is the mostcommonly adopted system in Thailand -Post tension flat slabs without columncapital and concealed beams.

The typical floor height is 4.5 m and theground floor is 5.5 m. For structuralconstruction, L&T Formwork’s table formmethod was used to minimize the formworkactivity time.

The table form consisted of both primaryand secondary members of H20 beamsconnected permanently to the CT420 propswith a special table head.

The required numbers of table forms, asper floor area, was fabricated at groundlevel and then taken to upper levels by tower

Front view of the Ministry of Public Health Building at Hamad Medical City, Doha, Qatar

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crane. After concreting of the slab, thestressing of the post-tensioned slab wascarried out on 4th day when the concreteattained 75% strength.

Major Quantities

! Concrete : 32465 Sqm! Reinforcement : 4399 t! Formwork : 102401 Sqm! Precast Panels : 2287 Sqm! Post-tensioning : 383 t! Structural Steel

Works : 350 t! Block works : 39135 Sqm! Plastering : 100910 Sqm! Roof water proofing : 11870 Sqm! Wooden works : 7442 Sqm! Linoleum & Epoxy

Flooring : 2879 Sqm! Hollow Metal Doors : 680 Nos.! Glazed Curtain Wall : 4200 Sqm! Glazed Internal

Partitions : 2200 Sqm! Gypsum Partitions : 4916 Sqm! Ceramic Tiles &

Panels : 7367 Sqm! Lime Stone Cladding : 7509 Sqm! Granite Cladding &

Flooring : 15221 Sqm! Carpet : 22669 Sqm! Suspended Ceiling &

Bulkheads (Metal &Gypsum) : 64825 Sqm

! Painting : 115548 Sqm

The table form were lowered and movedaround the floors using hydraulicallyoperated trolley and shifted between floorsusing large C-frame handled by towercranes. By adopting this technique theformwork activity for a floor of maximum2000 Sqm area was completed in a day.

There were two tower cranes and one 25tcapacity mobile crane used for the structuralconstruction. The reinforcement for theslabs and columns were supplied in cut-bendform by a local factory and the placing andtying was done manually. The concrete wassupplied & pumped by local RMC plants.

Raw Material Shortage

The construction boom meant that manymega projects were on simultaneously andthe import restriction and productionlimitations of the government-controlledfactories resulted in unprecedented rawmaterial shortage due to huge demand-supply gap.

It also triggered an unprecedentedescalation in cost ranging from 40% to 80%on key raw materials. Government of Qatar

eased the situation by allowing import ofcement and other important material fromneighboring GCC countries.

Resource Mobilization

The country of Qatar is literally run byExpats with local Qatari forming just 15%of the total population. Government of Qatarsensing the growing imbalance in the expatdemography had rationed and restrictedissuing of visa to Indian nationalitiesbecause of which the initial mobilization ofour workmen to the project site got affected.

At the peak stage of construction around700 workmen of different nationalities weredeployed. Getting the work done throughthe workmen of different nationalities achallenging task for our site engineers.

Safety & Quality

Like in any other project in Gulf Region, thesafety & quality requirement of the projectis quite stringent. But thanks to well-established safety & quality procedures ofL&T, the project performance has been quitesatisfactory in these vital areas ofconstruction. The site recently completed3.8 million accident free man-hours.

In spite of several hurdles and constraintthe building has been completed and itstands tall in Al Istiqlal Street of Doha withan impressive façade visible from a longdistance of Doha – Corniche.

N. LoganathanManager-Civil

Staff Club Building

Ministry of Public Health Building as seen from the car park

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Raslaffan ‘B” 1025 MW capacity powerplant is located in Raslaffan industrial areawhich is about 90 km North of Doha city inQatar. The plant is on the seashore wherenatural gas resources are available. Thisproject was planned to meet the massiveincrease in requirement of power and waterin the country due to huge upcomingpetroleum project, and also to feed powerduring the 2006 Asian games.

The power plant is being built for M/S QatarPower; main shareholders in the project areM/s Qatar Electricity & Water Company(QSWC), International Power Plc. U K,Chubu Electric Power Company Japan.Mott Mac Donald, UK, is the projectconsultant. Siemens are the EPCCcontractors, L&T is executing the total civilworks of the project.

Being a fast track project, the plant wasgiven a stringent time schedule of 28 monthsfor execution. Accordingly, commencing theworks in January 2005, the same was tobe completed by May 2007. L&T’s scopeof work involved construction of 3 gasturbines, 2 steam turbine building, water

treatment plant building, workshop andstore building, heat recovery steamgenerator foundations, C.W. GRP pipingworks, administration and control roombuilding, cladding works, Supply,installation & commissioning of sewagetreatment plant and 2 oil separators and 2cooling tower basins with pump station.

Salient features

Ras Laffan Power project comprised 125big and small structures. Following arethe major structures.

" Gas turbinebuilding : (1620 Sqm area)

" 3 Gas turbinefoundations : 240MW each

" Steam turbinebuilding : (1050 Sqm area)

" 2 Steam turbinefoundations : 152.5 MW each

" Double storiedadministration &control roombuildings : (750 Sqm floor

area)

" Workshop andstore buildingswith mezzaninefloor : (1100 Sqm floor

area)" Water treatment

buildings : (480 Sqm floorarea)

" 15550 Sqm of road works" 2 Nos of Cooling tower basins with

pumping station" GRP piping works of 2m dia for 250m" 3 Nos of HRSG foundations

Achievements

The site achieved a project progress whichis well above the targeted schedule. Majorportion of project, which includes 3 gasturbine & related structures, have beencompleted in stipulated time of 12 monthsand handed over to clients. While fasttracking was the primary objective,international quality standards/safety wasadhered to and maintained throughout theexecution. In recognitions of this, the clientsawarded a safety appreciation certificatefor achieving 2 million safe man-hours.

Raslaffan combined cycle power plant

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analysis and risk assessment, multiplecausation theory, safe scaffolding, confinedspace entry etc. The standard ofscaffolding required at the site by clients’was very high, equivalent to BritishStandard (BS), since our workers did nothave the experience to erect suchscaffolding, an external training agencywas hired to train the workers on erection& dismantl ing of various types ofscaffolding. Since the project involved alot of high-risk activities, a full timemanned first aid station was establishedat site. Every fortnight the client checkedthe emergency preparedness of the firstaider by conducting a mock first aid drill.

Challenges

The major challenge faced from safetypoint of view during execution of the

project was working inside the adjacentpower project for hook-up works. For amajority of the underground services trialdigging was done to find out the presenceof UG services with utmost care as theservice routes were not known. A separatecontrol and execution procedure wasmade for each activity to avoid anyproblem during execution.

Climatic Challenges

The extreme heat during the summerwhen temperatures touched 50OC posed aserious health challenge to the workforceas heat stress and exhaustion becamecommon ailments. This was overcome bychanging the work hours, providing re-hydration & citric fluids, more rest hoursduring mid-day and providing temporaryshelter near working areas with facilitiesfor cool drinking water and regulartraining regarding hazards of heat stressand precautions for each worker.

Presence of Hydrogen SulfideGas (H2S)

During deep excavation H2S gas wasencountered. To monitor the gaseousreleases, the project team put together aprocedure to continuously monitor theamount of gas being liberated fromground by means of gas monitors andrecorders. Whenever the quantity of gasliberated exceeded the safe limiting valuethe works were stopped immediately. Arescue team was formed and equippedwith suitable gas masks to conduct anyemergency rescue operations.

C.G. Pradeep KumarProject Manager

Resources

During peak execution the project had 50staff members, 725 workmen. Plant &Machinery deployed for various activitiesincluded excavators, dumpers, transitmixers, concrete pumps, mobile cranes,pavers, road rollers, grader etc.

Major Quantum of works

" Excavation : 25500 Cum" Formwork : 27900 Sqm" Concrete : 28200 Cum" Cladding works : 12800Sqm" GRP piping works : 250 RM" Sewage treatments

plant : 1 No" Oil separator : 2 Nos

Safety

Working inside Ras Laffan industrial citycalls for maintaining very high standardsof Health, Safety and Environment. Therewas constant monitoring by the client M/s.Qatar Power, Principal contractor M/s.Siemens and HSE Department of RasLaffan Industrial City. In addition,Environmental Department made frequentsite visits for assessing the safetyparameters.

Since most of the workers were new to thiskind of mega project, continuous trainingwas imparted to workmen right from theirinduction. Around six hundred workers andstaff have been given HSE induction andtraining on various safety parameters suchas working at heights, rigging and erectionpractices, safe operation of plant &machinery, heat stress management, safetywhile working in operational areas, hazard

A view of the gas and steam turbine buildings

Transformer in the substation

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Bahrain, officially the Kingdom ofBahrain, is a borderless island country inthe Persian Gulf and is the smallest Arabnation. It has the freest economy in theMiddle East and is considered to be themost liberal among the GCC Countrieswith regard to socially accepting peopleof different origins. Home to numerousmultinational f irms, Bahrain, isattracting a lot of investments in the fieldof luxury living and tourism. This hastriggered a construction boom in theisland especially in hospitality sector likehotels.

“Diplomat Serviced Apartments”, aservice sector project, is L&T’s first jobin the Kingdom of Bahrain and wasbagged against stiff competition amongthe local and established bidders. M/s.National Hotels Company, Manama,Kingdom of Bahrain, is the client. M/s.Mohammed Salahuddin ConsultingEngineering Bureau is the architect Cum

consultant, M/s.Baker Wilkins & Smithis the cost consultant.

The scope of work comprises constructionof a 16-storey hotel serviced apartmentbuilding with basement car park, totalingapproximately 22000 Sqm, together withassociated external works and services,adjacent to the existing 5 star Hotel “TheDiplomat”, run by the well known hotelmanagement group “Radisson SAS.”

The adjoining hotel facilities remainedful ly operational throughout theconstruction phase and the works werecarried out in accordance with employer’sregulations, guidelines and practices.Commencing in April 2004 the projectwas completed in June 2006.

Salient Features

The structure is of a composite type(structural steel columns and beams,

permanent decking sheets for each RCCslabs, shear walls and RCC lift shaft walls)with raft foundation over 384 numbers ofstructural piles and pile caps and comprisesone basement, ground floor, thirteen typicalfloors, one penthouse floor and terrace.Mechanical and electrical rooms areprovided on the roof.

HVAC system with four chillers of 312 TRcapacity, window cleaning system, firefighting system, building managementsystem, drainage, electrical works withprovision for receiving 11 KV power supply,supply and installation of 4 Nos cast resintransformers of total capacity of 5200 KWthrough two sets of main panels, nineteensub main panels comprising 175 Nos ofDB’s providing permanent light fittings atfinished portions, supply of emergencybackup DG of 500 KVA and required cabletrucking and cable laying. Finishing worksin basement, terrace and in service lobbiesincluding staircase.

Diplomat Serviced Apartments, Bahrain

15

at areas where negative shear is suppose todevelop, shear studs were provided at a predesigned diameter and spacing. The studsafter welding were extending 115mm forTR80.

The concrete cover over the top of the studwas kept more than 15mm. The minimumbearing requirements kept for the deckingwas 50mm for steelwork and 75mm onmasonry and concrete. Fixing of steelworkswas done with the help of shot fired nails.

Fixing of deck sheet to masonry was donewith drill and hammer anchors. Decking wasfixed at 300mm centres at each end and600mm centres over intermediate supports,or closest multiples of trough centres. Edgetrims were fixed at 750c/c with minimumbearing of 50mm.

Restraint strap were fixed at a maximum750c/c for slabs. Side stitching for decksheet was provided at 1 m c/c from midspan using self-tapping screws.

Decking around columns was achieved bytrimming the deck into the web and tapingto minimize concrete loss. Where there wereno incoming beams, an angle bracket wasprovided on the relevant column face by thesteel work fabricator, to support the freeend of the decking.

Consideration was given to provide thesupport where columns penetrate thedecking; reducing its stiffness duringconstruction conditions and the quality ofreinforcement it contributes to thecomposite conditions. Where an impervioussurface membrane was detailed,perforations in the decking were needed atthe production stage to enhance the freepassage of water vapour.

HVAC

Centralized plant with 4 Screw Chillers (3Working + 1 Spare) with four constantspeed pumps (3 W + 1 Spare) was providedat the terrace. 2 Nos fresh air AHU’s wereprovided on the terrace with one each oneither end. Two riser shafts were providedon either ends of the building for fresh air& chilled water riser.

Tapping from riser was taken into individualfloors from terrace to the basement bothfor fresh air and exhaust. In respectivefloors the header runs along the entire lengthof corridor with tapping taken for respectiveFan Coil Units (FCU) & rooms asapplicable.

Reverse return piping system was providedboth in riser and floor corridor headers.Every chilled water tapping was providedwith an isolation valve for supply and double

regulating valve for return. Exhaust riserfrom first floor was terminated at terracelevel with a roof exhaust fan. Tapping wasprovided in respective floors for toilets/kitchen.

Smoke extract duct riser with respectivefloor tapping was provided with motorizeddamper and further extension up to falseceiling with grille forms part of fit out works.

The riser has been terminated at terracelevel with connection to the smoke extractfan. Stairwell fan is provided at roof leveland a ducted connection from the fan outletto the opening at top of staircase forpressurization in event of fire.

Ventilation for staircase is provided througha tapping from main duct emanating fromservice lobby FCU. A pressure relief ducthas been provided at every third floor forstaircase area.

All the passenger lifts wells are providedwith tapping from FCU ducting in every floorabove door entrance while for the servicelift well, supply is provided at the overheadarea through a dedicated FCU.

Basement car park exhaust is ducted viaexhaust fan systems provided at either endsof basement. The air is exhausted througha louver at ground floor level.

Building Management Systems(BMS)

Every FCU is equipped with a dedicatedDDC. All mechanical equipments are hookedon to BMS. The entire system is hooked onto the system in existing hotel. All FCU’scan be controlled and monitored from acentralized place while the status of all otherequipments can be monitored.

Besides the above, a centralized controlleris provided, one each for two floors, formonitoring and control of FCU’s.

Plumbing & Drainage

Two concrete water tanks are provided inthe basement, which is combined for bothdomestic usage and fire fighting purpose.Water is supplied into the tank from theexisting R.O plant in client’s premises.

The same is pumped through a boosterpump to terrace level tanks and mechanicalpump room. This water is then distributedto water heaters through dedicated pumpsand to cold water tanks for further feedingto shafts.

Water is fed to shafts in the respectivefloors provided with PRV and gate valves

The construction of main structure wasdone using L&T formwork componentsyielding quality surface finish. During theconstruction of shear wall, man basketswere used for removal and re-fixing offormwork components, which facilitatedspeedy completion of the shuttering and de-shuttering works.

Concreting for lower floors was done withthe help of 42m long placer boom concretepumps. For higher floors, 180 bar staticpipeline was used to pump the concretethrough mobile concrete pumps. Theconcrete mix used for the structure was ofC45 grade designed in line with BritishStandards.

All floors/slabs were of composite metaldeck type, supported by a well-designed gridof structural beams and columns.Fabrication of all major structural membersand fabrication stage testing were done atthe sub contractor’s fabrication yard atDubai (ETA). Erections of structuralmembers were mainly done with the help oftower crane and partly with 250t capacitymobile crane (as one portion of the site wasnot accessible by tower crane due torestriction of the jib length to avoid collisionwith the existing hotel building in the closevicinity). All structural steel members werecoated with cementitious fireproofingmaterial of rating 2 hours with the help ofspray gun connected to air compressor.

Deck Sheet/Composite Slab

Metal deck sheets (for composite slab)became popular in 1980’s because of itssimplicity and design advantage to reducethe slab thickness, which in turn results inhuge advantage over traditional formworkfor slabs/floors. A range of metal deckprofiles are available in the marketdepending upon the design requirements.Composite slabs require crack control anddistribution reinforcement in the top of theslab in accordance with BS 5950 Part 4clause 6.7, 6.8. and 6.9. This can begenerally steel fabric which should be inaccordance with BS 4483: 1985.

The metal deck sheet used at our site wasmanufactured by M/s Structural MetalDecks Ltd., U.K. These deck sheets weremanufactured with steel strips for R51,TR60 and profiles complies with BSEN10143, BSEN 10147 with guaranteedminimum yield strengths of 280 and 350N/mm Sq. and a minimum coating mass of275g/Sqm. The deck sheet was designed toachieve imposed load in the range of 8 kN/Sq.M at composite stage. The compositeslabs were also meeting the requirementsof BS 5950: Part 4&6 1995 with regardto their structural behavior under normaldesign loads. In composite slab construction

16

on either side and globe valve on by passline for hot and cold water supply. The returnis provided with only gate valve.

Cast Iron drainage pipes were used for thepurpose of waste, soil, rain water and ventlines. A network of manholes is providedalong the periphery of the building adjacentto grid A where all the CI pipes terminatejust below ground level after collection. Theexternal network terminates at the sewagestub outlet pipe provided just outside thegate adjacent to the sub station.

Fire Protection System

Fire pump room in the basement has 2sprinkler pump sets – one for riser up toseventh floor while the other for the balance8 floors and 1 wet riser pump set.

Wet riser is provided on either ends of thecorridor while sprinkler riser is on one end(behind service elevator shaft). Sprinklerheader is provided in floor corridor, roomsand all common areas.

Fuel Oil System

Fuel oil pump (1 W + 1 S) is provided inthe existing hotel premises near the dieseloil tank. This is pumped throughunderground network to the apartmentbuilding. The pumps are activated throughlevel sensor arrangements.

Resources

A tower crane with 35 m boom length waserected in the strategic location. The samewas used for all the activities like loadingand unloading of structural steel fabricatedmaterials, Erection, formwork activities andconcreting for core wall. One passenger Cum

construction activities in basement and inlift pits. Well point dewatering system wasused for the dewatering. However, we haveencountered a non-porous and hard capacityrock in lift pit well area, wherein well pointdewatering system is not effective due tonon porous nature.

To overcome this condition, sheet piles weredriven along the periphery of the lift pit areaand with the help of localized sump pumps,the desired dry working level at the lift pitarea was achieved.

Shoring of Excavated Faces

Due to reclaimed land , the soil strata wasmainly of silt of little cohesiveness withnatural moisture content. Due to nonavailability of space and existing operationalhotel, we could not provide desired slope inthe soil for stability.

Continuous dewatering and lowering ofground water table loosened the soil furtherlike a non cohesive mass.

To overcome this situation, 25mm dia, 3mlong deformed bars were driven on verticallycut surface@ 750mm c/c in both ways. Thebars were driven in rows and zigzag manner.

Safety

Adhering to the international safetyparameters and incorporating L&T’s safework methods and practices the site clocked1.50 million safe man hours which wasinstrumental in timely completion of theproject.

S. KrishnamurthySPM-LTSA

In order to accelerate the businessvolume in the middle-east region, Larsen& Toubro International FZE (LTIFZE),a wholly-owned subsidiary of L&T wasincorporated in Hamriyah Free Zone,Sharjah in September 2001. This wascreated with a focus to develop aresource base for P&M and humanresources.

During 2005-06 L&T with the view toconsolidate its investments in variousoverseas ventures transferred its

shareholding in the JV companies in Oman,Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Nigeriato LTIFZE. With this LTIFZE has becomethe investing arm of L&T for all the overseasventures. LTIFZE would be the investmentpartner in the proposed new JV’s in UAE,Oman, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Further in October 2004, commodityhedging was included in LTIFZE majorfunction in line with its parent company’spolicy of risk mitigation across variousbusiness lines of the group as a whole.

LTIFZE is involved in offering thefollowing services:

! Purchase and hiring of Plant &Machinery and Other Equipment forJV companies in the Middle Eastregion.

! Investment arm of L&T’s overseasventures

! Commodity Hedging! Project Consultancy Services

L&T International FZE

material hoist was engaged for manualmovement and material shifting. Around130 workmen were engaged through oursub contractors and departmentally.

Major Quantum of works

" Excavation : 10500 Cum" Cast in Piles : 600 mm Dia -

490 Nos" Formworks : 21500 Sqm" Concreting : 10500 Cum" Structural Steel : 1750 t" Gypsum Partition : 33000 Sqm" Bituminous

Waterproofing : 7300 Sqm" Curtain Walling

works : 6020 Sqm" Aluminium Cladding

works : 2350 Sqm" Stone Cladding

works : 2000 Sqm" Cable Trunking : 4400 Mts" HVAC works : (4 Nos

AircooledScrew Chillers& 416 NosFCU

" Lifts : 5 Nos (4 nospassenger liftand oneservice lift)

" Plumbing and Drainage works" Sprinkler and Wet Riser System"Window Cleaning System

Dewatering System

The site is located in the reclaimed land andvery near to cornice. Hence the ground watertable is with in 1.5m from the lowest groundprofile of the site. A proper dewateringsystem was required to facilitate

17

Electricity & Water Training Institutepromoted by Ministry of Energy, RoyalGovernment of Kuwait was built by L&T inthe University Campus of Public Authorityfor Applied Education & Training(PAAET).

L&T secured this order in May 2002 fromMessrs Al-Fulaij, the prime contractors forthe project and executed the constructionof this Institute on a turnkey basis. M/s.Turner Projacs, an American firm wellknown in the project management skill werethe project management consultants.

Built on a plot of 103095 Sqm, theconstruction of the Institute involved a built-up area of 48,500 Sqm which included twoadministration buildings, six teachingblocks, one multi-purpose hall, two sub-station buildings, two store and plant roomsand one central car park.

L&T’s scope of work involved providingengineering, design, preparation of shopdrawing including builder’s work drawings.This also included construction of civil andstructural works, finishes, specialized items,

MEP services, irrigation and plantationincluding provision of general facilities.

Even though most of the staff engaged in

the construction of this project had noearlier international exposure, they had aninbuilt attitude towards qualityconstruction. This was translated in to a

Connecting bridges and walkways for Administration Building and Teaching Blocks

Administration Block - EWTI

18

good quality plan and finally resulted in thebest quality work in the campus, which hasbeen well acknowledged by the client andthe general public.

We employed the best of project monitoringsystems for efficient execution of the project.PRIMAVERA cost loaded schedule,submittal and procurement schedules andlogs, fortnightly project review with 30 dayslook ahead and monthly report with 90 daysschedules were the salient features of these

monitoring systems. We also used the JCR,reconciliation, performance reports forgenerating internal quality checks.

We faced great difficulty in mobilizing staffand manpower required for the project.When this was completed, we were forcedto demobilize due to the sudden break outof war in Iraq.

This resulted in cancellation of old visasand the new regulations imposed by the

Ministry of Social Affairs for the new visas,affected the performance of the project inthe terms of time and cost.

This apart, we had several othercoordination problems discrepancy indrawings, specifications, as well as delay inpreparing drawings, delay in getting powersupply etc.

Though works commenced in 2002, theprices were quoted by L&T in 2000. Hence,there was a huge jump in material andlabour costs. The steel prices all over theworld also went up in the meantime. Eurobecame very strong and most of the inputsof finishing materials were pegged to Euro.

However, in order to adhere to the schedule,we prepared very good work methods tospeed up the entire operation and completedthe project successfully to the entiresatisfaction of the Owner and Consultantby 31st December 2005.

The high quality and safety achieved in theproject are considered as major benchmarksfor other projects.

S. RamakrishnanProject Manager

F. V. DesaiManager-Civil

Open Auditorium for EWTI, Kuwait

Teaching Blocks

19

A brand new ultra modern 200-bed hospitalbuilt by L&T Saudi Arabia (LTSA) hassprang up at Al Dawadmi on a 1,63,878Sqm plot. LTSA undertook the design andconstruction of this project on a back toback basis for the Ministry of Health (MoH),Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Construction ofthe project began in October 2001, and thesame was completed in June 2006. M/s Al-Mobty Contracting Company were the PrimeContractors and Al-Mazroa ConsultingEngineers Riyadh were the consultants forthe project.

The G-200 project comprises the mainhospital building, an ancillary building, anunder ground water tank, a recreationcenter, administration building, three guardhouses, office blocks, a covered car parkingincluding asphalt paved road and boundarywall. Scope of work involved engineering,design, architectural and civil works,

plumbing & sanitary, HVAC and fire-fighting, electrical installation includingcomplete external finishing works.

Main Hospital

Considered as the heart of the hospital, themain building consists of a two-storiedstructure with a basement. LTSA built theentire structure from concept to completiontill handing over. Having a built up area of6241 Sqm, the hospital building is providedwith ultra modern facilities for the welfareof patients as well as for the practicingmedical professionals. In order to make thestructure sound proof, gypsum partitionsare used with special care.

Basement

This houses the most important sections ofhospital like the sterilization room, laundry,

mortuary and electrical control rooms,transformers, WTP, fire fighting and alarmsystems including HVAC equipments andcontrol systems.

Ground/Upper Floors

The ground floor houses departments suchas OPD, Emergency, Laboratory, Pharmacy,Dialysis and Main Kitchen with their storageareas, while the first floor is provided withpatient rooms, male and female wards, ICU,CCU, Operation Theaters and Nursery. Thelift machine rooms, HVAC exhaust, and AirHandling System are accommodated in thesecond floor.

On the whole, there are five lifts, out ofwhich four are meant for use by patients/general visitors and the other one is forexclusive use by staff of sterilizationdepartment/Operation Theater. Apart from

The main entrance lobby of Dawadmi General Hospital, Saudi Arabia

20

this, there are two internal staircases andfour fire exit staircases for meetingemergency needs, if any.

Ancillary Building

Having a built up area of 1170 Sqm, theancillary building is a single storiedstructure and this accommodates allelectrical, instrumentation and mechanicalcontrol systems and other facilities such asMV, LV, switchgears, generator, boilers, etc.The ancillary building is directly connectedto main hospital from the basement throughan under ground service tunnel forundertaking all maintenance services.

In addition to the above, there is a Chiller

Yard and Chiller Pump Room with a builtup area of 1000 Sqm to facilitate theinstallation of HVAC system formaintaining ambient temperature in themain hospital.

There is an LPG Tank Area, which isenclosed by roof less four walls containingtwo big LPG Tanks, which are directlyconnected to main hospital kitchen. Thishas a built up area is 170 Sqm.

Under Ground Water Tank

Having a built up area of 800 Sqm and acapacity of 2400 Cum, the under groundwater tank with pump room and watertreatment unit was built with all care in

Another view of the hospital block

A view of the hospital corridor

view of its high importance. For thispurpose, the tank was applied withwaterproofing by PVC lining, protectivecoatings from inside and damp proofingfrom external portion.

Major Items of Work

" Excavation : 50,000 Cum" Back filling : 6,000 Cum" Concreting : 25,000 Cum" Reinforcement : 1,500 tons" Structural steel : 500 tons" Shuttering : 95,000 Sqm" Granite cladding : 5290 Sqm" False Ceiling : 18,000 Sqm" Gypsum partition : 24,000 Sqm" Aluminium

Partition : 500 Sqm" Painting internal

external andboundary : 45,000 Sqm

" WallsWalk way tiles : 12,000 Sqm

" Vinyl Flooring : 11,000 Sqm" Granite and

other Flooring : 2,000 Sqm" Asphalts Road : 30,000 Sqm" Landscaping

and irrigation : 6,000 Sqm" Doors and

windows : 1,500 Nos

Recreation Center

This single storied structure provided witha library, cafeteria, super market, and aspacious sit out in a built up area of 2850Sqm with a natural landscaping all round.

21

In addition there is well built sports complexin an area of 1650 Sqm. provided withinternational class facilities such as tennis,basket, and volley ball courts which arebarricaded by chain link fencing.

Guard Houses

There are three guardhouses situated atdifferent entrances, each having an area of35 Sqm. Built to maintain the security ofthe hospital.

Roads

For internal transportation there are 6mwide bituminous road network withwalkways formed on both sides. This hasan area of 30,000 Sqm.

Covered Car Parking

There is a 4612 Sqm covered car parkingbuilt using ISMB sections and galvanizedcorrugated roofing panels.

Office Building

A 700-Sqm office caters to the projectclients, consultants and other executingengineers.

Landscaping

All round the main hospital and otherbuildings a beautiful garden has developedwith excellent landscaping design. Thisconsists of 8000 Sqm of green carpet areawith grass and 13000 Sqm of plants andshrubs.

Compound Wall

All along the periphery of the property aconcrete compound wall is built with precastpanels of 4.5x2.5m size for a length of1450 RM and Alumiinum panels as adecorative element to a length of 250 RM.Boundary wall panels were precast at siteincluding decorative engraftments likeMinistry logo etc. This helped in speedingup the operations in the given schedule bythe client.

Administration Building

This well designed two-storied buildinghouses the administration offices and hasa total built up area of 564 Sqm.

Safety

The project achieved 3.60-million-accidentfree man-hours.

M. Padmanabha RaoProject Manager

Front view of the hospital

A view of the central lobby

22

Thinet International, a French Companyhaving its branch in Saudi Arabia wasawarded a contract by Ministry of Health,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on September 12,1999 for reconstruction of three, 100 bedhospitals each at Khafji (near Kuwaitborder), Rafha (near Iraq border), Domat(near Jordan border). Located in theeastern/northern frontier provinces ofKingdom, the construction of these hospitalswere stalled during the gulf war in early90s.

The EPC contract for execution of theseprojects entrusted to L&T-ECC inSeptember 2000 was to be completed in atight schedule of 36 months. However, thecontract value enhanced with an extensionof time up to January 2004.

G-100 Hospitals Project is the first majorEPC contract executed by L&T in SaudiArabia. Apart from better exposure tointernational standards, execution of thisproject posed several major challenges toECC-ites. The state of the art medicalsystems and equipment installed here werethe most latest and didn’t exist back in home.None of the staff was exposed to such anew experience in any of their previousassignments anywhere across the globe.

Ministry of Health occupied Khafji hospitalin December 2004 and the Domat and Rafhahospitals in April 2005. All the projectswere under maintenance by L&T tillSeptember 2006.

The contract being EPC in nature involvedengineering, supply of medical and non-medical equipment, installation, testing andcommissioning of various electromechanicalsystems, apart from carrying out completecivil and architectural finishes includingconstruction of roads, landscaping worksand handing over the fully functionalhospital with all amenities.

Each hospital involved construction of amain hospital building, housing quarters,recreation centre, water and sewagetreatment plant, helipad, landscapedgardens, service roads, pathways,irrigation system, sports area, playgrounds, swimming pool, covered carparking etc,. Ancillary buildings involvedstructures to house boiler system,generator, electrical plant room, workshop,open store, medical gas, and manifoldrooms.

The main hospital building involves a totalbuilt up area of 13253 Sqm and consistsof basement (3393 Sqm), ground floor(5165 Sqm), first floor (2885 Sqm),second floor (1600 Sqm) and pent house(210 Sqm).

Riyadh the Capital of Saudi Arabia alsohoused the Client, Consultant and L&T’sCentral Project Offices. While design,engineering, procurement and coordinationwith Client/Consultant were carried out atRiyadh office, Rafha located in betweenDomat and Khafji was chosen as the centrallocation for coordination and betterinteraction with sites. The imported medicaland non-medical equipment and materialswere sent to the respective sites directlyfrom the port through our clearing agent.

A typical entrance view

Front View of Hospital

23

All vendors were asked to send equipmentdirectly to sites. For small materials andconsumables, arrangements were made withthe transporters in such a way that oncesizable volume was accumulated thetransporters would collect the material fromvarious vendors and deliver them at requiredlocations. Thus, these projects wereexecuted without a warehouse facility atcentral office in Riyadh. L&T also made aspecial arrangement with the client to raisean invoice for 75% value of materialsdelivered at site in order to keep theinventory at bare minimum.

The entire project was executed to highestquality and safety standards. LRQAConducted ISO survival quality audit in theyear 2003 and was satisfied with theperformance of ISO and its implementation.The audit was successfully passed withoutany remarks. Similarly the project achieved5 million safe working hours without anymajor injury/fatal accident which is atestimony to the stringent quality and safetystandards implemented at site.

P. Rajakumara GurubaranPlanning Manager

Civil and Architectural

" Ceramic tile work : 11,000 x 3=33,000 Sqm" Porcelain tile work : 8,000x 3=24,000 Sqm" Vinyl flooring : 5,800 x 3=17,400 Sqm" False ceiling : 15,000 x 3=45,000 Sqm" Painting : 45,000x3=1, 35,000 Sqm" Gypsum partition

work : 18,000 x 3= 54,000 Sqm" Doors and windows : 1,400 x 3 =42,000 No

Mechanical

" Chillers : 8 x 3 + (4 standby)=28 Nos" Air handling units : (27 x 3 +1 x 6) (4x3

standby)=99 Nos" Fan coil units : 460 x 3= 1380 Nos" Exhaust fan : 210 x 3=630 Nos" Hot water

production Calorifier : 3 x 3=9Nos" LPG storage tank

7 Cum cap. : 2 x 3 =6 Nos" Steam boiler of

1500 kg/hr each : 3 x 3=9 Nos" Reverse Osmosis

plant 265 Cum/day : 1 x 2=2 Nos" Filtration and

re-mineralization plant : 1 No (265 Cum/day-1 x 1)" Fuel tank each 40 Cum : 4 x 3 = 12 Nos" Sewage treatment

plant 265 Cum/day : 1 x 3=3 Nos" Medical gas system

Electrical

" Transformer : 4 x 3 = 12 Nos" Elevators : 3 x 3 = 9 Nos" DG set 1500 kVA : 1 x 3 = 3 Nos

In addition this involved installation of severalelectromechanical systems and equipment:" MATV system" Nurse call system" Fire alarm system" Intercom system" Telephone system" Public address system" Medical Equipments" Radiology" Fluoroscopy" X-Ray" Dental" ENT" Ophthalmology" Sterilizer" Autoclaves" CSSD equipment" Cooking equipments" Laundry equipments" Laboratory equipment" Operation theatre equipments" Surgical panels, column and lamps" Morgue" Autopsy table" Case work and furniture

Major Scope of Work

Operation theatre

24

Ministry of Education (MOE) is buildingapproximately 2000 schools acrossKingdom of Saudi Arabia. Out of these, fewselected schools are executed on BOT ontrial basis for studying and understandingthe nuances, problems and prospects of thisnew venture in the Kingdom.

Accordingly the Main Contractor orinvestor had to finance the project throughBank, wherein the Bank was to invest 85%and the Investor would finance the balance15%. A ten-year concession was given tothe Investor to Build, Operate and Transferthe property. The Investor was allowed tohave a Sub-Contractor for the actualconstruction. Accordingly Al-ZakaryIndustry & Trading Co. were selected asthe Investor/The Main Contractor by theMOE and they were asked to constructapproximately 44 Schools on BOT basis.

Al-Zakary Industry & Trading Co. wasfound in 1981, following the greatGovernmental support for the Saudi PrivateSector to participate in the development andprosperity of the Saudi Economy. The Groupis basically involved in Investment andManagement of Construction activities.

For the sake of convenience Al-ZakaryGroup combined the projects located invarious places and floated the tender forgetting competitive quotes from Sub-contractors for the various packages/

groups. In response to this Larsen & ToubroSaudi Arabia LLC (LTSA) submitted itsquotations for few packages. After oneround of negotiations LTSA was awardeda Package to build 9 Schools in EasternRegion and Northern Borders.

The LOI to build 9 schools on turnkey basiswas entrusted to LTSA on 22nd October2003. The scope of work included thesubmittals and approvals of shop drawings,submittals and approval of materials to beused, construction of structure, finishes,MEP services etc. till handing over. Thisalso involved the Defects Liability Period/Maintenance Period of 1 year.

Infrastructure Requirements

As all school buildings were small in sizeand magnitude, not much of infrastructurewas required at site except for the Client’soffice, Contractor’s office, Store and Toilets.These were made up of pre-fabricated unitsusing ready made Porta-Cabins.Construction of water tanks were made outof brick-work and concrete or prefabricatedsteel. Water was made available throughwater tankers available locally, which is acommon practice in Saudi Arabia. Forpotable water every site was provided witha separate water cooler and overhead tank.

Milestones

The only milestone described in the contractwas to complete the structural works oftransformer room (SCECO Room) prior tocasting of First Floor Slab (Ground Floor

Interior view of Abdullah Bin Rawaha School at Hafar Al-Bartin

Completed view of King Saud School at Arar

25

Roof) of the Main School Building. Thiswas required because of the long lead timeof procurement and installation ofTransformer by the SCECO (Saudi ElectricCompany). Normally this is done only afterthe structure for transformer is made ready.

Salient Features

The projects were spread across a stretchof 1300 km in the Eastern & Northern partof the country. From Riyadh City (AreaOffice), the nearest project was locatedapproximately 510 km and the farthestproject was at approximately 1300 km.

Deployment of manpower both workers andstaff was a major hurdle in view of thespread-out nature of the school locations.Yet another major problem faced by the staffwas the use of Arabic in all governmentdocumentation.

Major Items of Work

" Excavation :21900 Cum" Backfilling :35200 Cum" Plain Concrete : 5920 Cum" Reinforced Concrete :19300 " Block Masonry :46000 Sqm" Plastering :139000 Sqm" Flooring :73900 Sqm" Bitumen Painting :31800 Sqm"Waterproofing :33600 Sqm" Painting :171000 Sqm" External Floors :22600 Sqm

In spite of these problems the entire taskwas successfully completed with duediligence of the managerial skill of all ourstaff, locally hired Arabic staff and support

Structural Details

Basically there were 2 types (Type 2 & Type15) of Schools. Type 2 was smaller typewith 18/26/28/30 class rooms and Type 15was of bigger type with 36/48 class rooms.

The typical plan area for Type 2 School wasapprox. 1200sqm/floor. The structure wastypically G+2 Floor (except for 18 rooms)thus making a total area of 3600 sqm foreach school main building (except for 18rooms where the area was 2400).

For other schools where the numbers ofrooms were 26/28/30 there was a verysmall/negligible change in the total area.Similarly for Type 15 School, theapproximate plan area was 2600 sqm/floorhence for the G+2 Floors the total areawas 7800 Sqm for each school building with48 rooms and for schools with 36 roomsthe area was 6450 sqm.

There were 6 schools of Type 2 and 3 schoolsof Type 15. The total area underconstruction was 41100 Sqm.

Architectural Features

Basically there were 2 types of structurescovering all the 9 schools. The main buildingwas of G+2 floor structure. The boundarywall was built with masonry and steel fencein some location based on the approach andvisibility. The guard house, transformerroom, auditorium shed (with steel structure,covered with insulated sheets), undergroundwater tank, and gas room were the othertypical structures required in each of theschool.

All school buildings were RCC framedstructure, with concrete block masonry

of the Area Office. All 9 Schools weresuccessfully handed over by March’ 2006.

Location

The locations for the schools:

" 1 School : Khafji (750 km fromRiyadh near Kuwaitborder)

" 2 Schools : Hafar Al-Batin (510Kms from Riyadh)

" 1 School : Rafha (750 km fromRiaydh near Iraq border)

" 4 Schools : Ar’ar (1050 km fromRiyadh near Iraqborder)

" 1 School : Tureif (1300 kmfrom Riyadh nearJordan border)

View of the Corridor at Moosa Bin Omar School at Arar

Night view of Abdullah Bin Rawaha School at Hafar Al-Bartin

26

(Outer walls – insulated type and Inner walls– hollow type), and plastering with typicalfloor finishes.

In the class rooms mosaic tiles was used.In laboratories, toilets and teacher roomsit was ceramic tiles. The open areas werecovered with cement tiles. All the walls hadtextured acrylic emulsion paint. All theclassrooms were provided with window ACswith both hot and cold facility and theteachers room and laboratories wereprovided with split unit ACs with both hotand cold facility.

The water tanks were fixed/constructed onthe roof of the main buildings. The pumproom above the water tanks was fitted withwater pumps with automatic pumpingsystem.

Staff & Manpower Deployment

The requirement of the staff was specifiedin the contract and accordingly the staffwas provided. For each school of Type 2,One Engineer and one foreman wererequired and for each of Type 15 School,One Engineer, One Architect and OneForeman were required. In addition to this3 Electrical Engineers were to be providedas per the contract.

Further 2 Coordinators, one each inEastern and Northern part were also to beprovided for the Investor. This apart ouradministration staffs for Accounts andStores and Safety and Quality Coordinatorswere provided.

For the submittals and approvals ofmaterials/shop drawings, which wassupposed to be done in Riyadh office ofMOE, 2 staff members were provided.

During peak period around 500 workers(civil, finishes and electro-mechanical) wereprovided for the works.

Since engineering requirements for all typesof schools buildings were pre-decided, therewas no separate consultant/consulting firminvolved with the project. Our responsibilitywas however restricted to prepare the shop

drawings for architectural finishes andelectro-mechanical works.

One local (Arabic) Architect and OneDraftsman were employed for the job sinceall the text was supposed to be in Arabic.During the preparation, approval andresubmission after construction theinterface language being Arabic EDRCcould not be involved.

Completion

Although the contract was awarded in 22nd

October 2003, the works on the projectbegan in February 2004 and the entireproject was completed and handed over byFebruary 2006. This also included one yearDefects Liability Period (MaintenancePeriod) which was completed in March2007 and the final handing over is done.

Client Satisfaction

In the beginning (initial phase) of the worksthe clients had a lot of apprehensions dueto our lack of knowledge of Arabic.Difference in the work pattern andprocedures and lack of Gulf experience forthe staff was another area of concern. Lackof skilled and efficient manpower was alsoa major concern.

However, we gained the confidence of clientsby trying out different work approach(meeting their requirements), by providinglocal Arabic staff, mobilizing sufficientmanpower for works and our determinedapproach to finish the works to the completesatisfaction of the clients.

A. D. GharpureProject Manager

Abdullah Bin Rawaha School at Hafar Al-Bartin

Side view of King Saud School at Arar

27

Qassim Cement Company (QCC), a leadingcement manufacturer in Saudi Arabia, hasits production facility located nearBuraydah city, 350 km from Riyadh. Theexisting plant here has two production unitseach having a capacity of 2500 TPD. Theseplants produce mainly two types of cementviz Sulphate Resistant Cement and OrdinaryPortland Cement conforming to SaudiArabian Standards. As demand for cementis increasing sharply in Saudi Arabia, QCClaunched a new unit to meet the increasingneed.

Accordingly, QCC engaged Marubeni SaudiArabia Company (MASACO), a joint venturebetween Japan based IHI and HolcimSupport Group of Switzerland for designand construction of its 3rd production lineincluding supervision.

Designed to produce 4500 TPD of cement,the new plant under construction will havea four dry process system and this willemploy NSF (new suspension flush furnace)in addition to the rotary kiln. The NSFsystem comprises flush furnace and five

stage cyclones. The new unit will alsoproduce Pozzolona cement in addition toOPC & SRC.

MASACO in turn entrusted the civilconstruction works to L&T Saudi ArabiaLLC (LTSA), a JV company of L&T India.Valued at SAR 136 million (INR 1632million), the project had to be completed in18 months. This involved construction ofcivil works for plant structures, electricalrooms, utilities etc., as follows:

# Civil & structural works for 7 silos.This involved construction of:$ One raw meal silo of 65 m height

and 22 m dia$ Four cement silos of 65 m height

and 22 m dia$ Two clinker silos of 55 m height

and 32 m dia# Design and installation of HVAC

systems.# Roads & Drains, etc.

All seven silos were constructed by usingthe slip-form technology of continuous

An overview of the Qassim Cement Plant, Saudi Arabia

construction. And yet another uniquefeature of this construction include thesimultaneous slipping of 2 cement siloswhich is considered as a path breakingachievement in the project

Major Item of Works

# Excavation : 138,863 Cum# Backfilling : 78,459 Cum# All type of Concrete : 94,392 Cum# Rebar : 9,523 tons# Pre-stressing : 471 tons# Structural Steel : 600 tons# Slip form : 67,954 Sqm# Normal Form work : 110,431 Sqm#Waterproofing : 64,925 Sqm# Painting : 30,899 Sqm

Safety

Project achieved 4.80 million accident freemanhours.

V. SrinivasProject Manager

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Strategic Road Link

The new Wadi Abdoun Bridge built by L&Tis a spectacular landmark in Jordan. Builtfor The Municipality of Greater Amman -Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, thisprovides the people of Jordan, a strategicroad link on the inner ring road from 4thcircle to Abdoun roundabout. In addition,this brings substantial benefits likecongestion free and smooth flow of trafficas well as reaching destinations in a fasterand safer manner. This is the first staycable bridge in Jordan and during nights itshines like a jewel in the crown of Jordan'sundulating landscape.

This 425 m long bridge with dual two-lanecarriageway, each having a width of 7.28mand supported on three towering pylonsrising to a maximum height of 71m from

the bottom of the valley bed (pile cap) is anengineering marvel, a new landmark in thecapital city of Jordan and a cynosure of alleyes. Gliding across the Abdoun valley, thebridge presents a panoramic and strikinglybeautiful view of Abdoun Township with itsbeautiful residential and commercialbuildings.

Consisting of four continuous spans, thiscable-stayed bridge structure glides acrossthe valley on an 'S' curve horizontal alignmentwith two central spans of 132-m each andtwo spans of 63 m, one on either side, followedby a void deck span of 27 m on one side andapproach slabs of 4m each on either sidemaking it a total length of 425-m. The deckcomprises a dual two-lane carriageway at analtitude of 45 m on the central tower whichrises 26m above the deck to accommodatethe stays holding the deck.

Located in a Grade 2 seismic zone, the bridgeis in close proximity to the major Jordanvalley fault, as such, it has been designed towithstand lateral pressure correspondingto loads produced by a one in 120 yearsearthquake, the design life of the bridge.

ECC, the Engineering Construction &Contracts Division of L&T, India executedthe bridge to the design of Dar-Al-HandasahConsultants, UK meeting internationalstandards in quality. Construction involvedpiling and ground anchoring works, in-situconstruction of pylons with architecturalfinishes, precasting of deck segments withmatch casting of outer segments, erectionof segments using special launching tackles,stay cable and post tensioning works, voidedslabs at the end span meeting with theabutment, precast parapet, precast NewJersey barrier, deck water proofing

Leaping across valleys and meandering with a complex 'S' curve horizontal alignment, this unique and seismically designed, dual two lane,425 m long cable stayed bridge is the first of its kind in the world. And the first cable stayed bridge built by L&T.

Close up view of the cantilever construction

Jordan

29

including painting, electrical andillumination works.

Sub-Structure

The foundation is made up of 88 bored insitu piles of 1200 mm diameter driven to a

varying depth of 12 to 21 meters for theconstruction of three pylons including thefirst south end abutment. The north endabutment and the second south endabutment rests on open foundation. All thepiles were subjected to working load testincluding the Integrity Test (dynamictesting).

The pile caps for the first and third towerhave a dimension of 22.50 m x 18.50 m x3.00 deep and 18.50 m x 14.50m x 3.00deep for the central tower. Due topronounced horizontal curvature of thedeck, large rotational forces are expectedto be generated on the first and third towers.To withstand this prestressing tendonsrunning to the full height of the tower andtied back to the 3m deep pile caps aredesigned to transfer the forces to thebedrock under the pile caps through thesepiles.

136 prestressed ground anchors of 150mmdia driven to a depth of 42m below groundwere installed on all the four axes of thepile cap to protect the bridge from largerotational forces and moments, in the eventof any seismic activity. This involved 52anchors each for first and third tower and32 anchors for the central tower.

Pylons

The construction of three pylons was themost challenging due to its constantlychanging profile, the section of whichdiminishes from the base to the top. Thisinvolved three 'Y' shaped pylons each having

Erection in progress of the first precast segment for the deck

Erection and alignment of deck elements in progress

30

two identical parallel elements connectedby a reinforced concrete web above andbelow deck. They vary in shape from amodified straight-sided ellipse at the base

to a circular section 26m above the deck ontop. The upper arms are inclined to lay inthe same plane as the cables therebyeliminating avoidable bending moments and

maximizing equilibrium in the structure.

The variable geometry necessitated differentformwork elements for each 3m lift. Thetowers were designed in pairs not only togive a slender appearance but also to providegreater stability. Plastic liners were usedon the wooden forms to provide a consistenthigh quality ribbed finish to the concreterunning from one section to the next. Theconcrete mix design incorporated microsilica for durability and strength includingpulverized fly ash to reduce the shrinkageand improve workability.

Pre-Casting

Prescasting of the deck segments involveda total of 378 elements - 252 for outergirder segments and 126 inner girdersegments and this posed a severe challengein view of its geometry. The outer girdersegments though match-cast, had varyingdimensions for each segment as the bridgeis on a curve. Perfect accuracy (± 2 mm)had to be maintained while casting thesesegments as these were to be erected andstitched to perfection. On an average it tooka cycle time of 5 days for casting the outersegments and 3.5 days for the Innersegments.

Completed view showing the bottom of the deck and the curve

Night view of the bridge

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Superstructure

The deck consists of 3m long segments,match cast in three parts for easytransportation and handling. The two outergirder elements weighed 50 t each and thecentral spine with diaphragm weighed 20 t,making it a total of 120 t for each bay ofdeck element. These three deck elements werelifted and stitched together in-situ to ensureperfect alignment before gluing and posttensioning the same. A custom designedgantry was fabricated and erected on thedeck for lifting, gluing and stitching thesesegments. In addition three erection tackles(launching girders) inclusive of U-frametravelers, temporary stays, portal structure,stressing brackets, stressing platformsetc... to the tune of 2000 t was successfullyfabricated and used.

During cantilever construction, the decksegments had to be temporarily held inposition using temporary stressing barsbefore they were post tensioned with staycables. However, the stressing bars alonewas not sufficient enough to hold thesegments and keep the stresses in tact.Therefore, this problem was resolved byproviding a temporary stay fabricated atsite using grade 50 steel and successivelyused at every second segment.

This temporary stay was anchored to thetop of pylon tower and 120mm dia highstrength pins were used to accommodatethe rotation in horizontal and vertical planeto take care of the bridge deck alignment.The gantry was then moved forward andthe process of lifting, gluing and stitchingthe segments repeated. Thereafter at thefourth segment, cable stays were installed and

stressed. After stressing, the temporary staywas deactivated and the strands removed.

Cable Stay

The deck is supported by 5 parallel cablestays emanating from Y-shaped pylons andbuilt into the towers for stability and easeof construction. The inclination of the planeof cables from the vertical further controlsmovement of the deck by virtue of the cradleeffect of the stays.

The stays comprise 15.70 mm diameterstrands varying in number from 52 to 73depending on cable length. These runthrough the towers in steel tube saddles andare then anchored to blocks in the deck ateach end.

The saddles comprise specially designedsteel pipes with varying geometry and theyprotrude in such a way as to avoid contact

Project Highlights

" Name of the Project : Wadi-Abdoun Cable Stayed Bridge,Jordan

" Client : The Municipality of Greater Amman,Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

" Bridge Designer : Dar Al- Handasah Consultants, UK" Consultant : Dar-Al-Handasah Consultants, Amman

(Shair & Partners)" Contractor : Larsen & Toubro Limited, India" Local JV Partner : Arab Technical Construction Company,

Jordan" Construction Engineering : VSL Switzerland" Design of Enabling works : EDRC, L&T Chennai, India" Project Location : Wadi Abdoun-Part of Inner Ring road" Project Commencement : December 2002" Project Completion : December 2006" Type of Bridge : Curved Cable Stayed Bridge" Length of Bridge : 425m (1 x 63m + 2 x 132m + 1 x

63m +1x 27m +2x4)" Number of Lanes : Dual two lane Carriageway" Width of the carriageway : 7.28 m for each lane" Total width of the bridge : 22.5 m to 29.39 m" Substructure : 88 bored cast-in-situ piles of1200mm dia" Depth of piles : 12 to 21 m" Ground anchors : 136 Nos of 150mm dia and 45m deep" Superstructure : Built on 3 'Y' shaped pylons" No. of abutments : 3 Nos" Height of Pylon towers$ Tower T1 : 56m from top of Pile cap$ Tower T2 : 71m from top of Pile cap$ Tower T3 : 56m from top of Pile cap

" Deck construction : Precast Segmental" Max radius in the alignment : 180m" Quantity of precast concrete : 6200m3" Quantity of In-situ Concrete : 11000m3" Quantity of Reinforcement steel : 3650 tonnes" Post tensioning works : 460 tonnes" Cable stay works : 208 tonnes

with the strands. These are then groutedwith flexible filler at the openings and withina transition distance to permit angularmovement of the cables without causingdamage to either the strands or the cables.

The remaining parts of the cables are thengrouted with rigid cement filler. Once thestays are installed in position and finallystressed/tuned deviators, spacers areinstalled and the terminal anchorage capswere filled with special grease. VSL staycable system SSI-2000 was adopted tomeet the stringent quality requirements.

Closures, Post-Tensioning &Final Tuning

The deck after erection from either sidecomes to the point of closing, where thedeck levels are adjusted with stays to getthe desired profile and then closed with fibrereinforced concrete.Pylon tower with deck and cable stay

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Thereafter, the post tensioning of 15.7 mmstrands running through the entire decktop and bottom was done to hold the bridge.

Once the additional loads from the bridgewas removed, the stays were tuned to thedesired forces following which the greasingof anchorage caps and installation ofdeviators and spacers of cable stays done.

Parapets & New JerseyBarriers

292 edge parapets, 322 single face NewJersey barriers and 120 double face NewJersey barriers were pre-cast and thenerected on to the deck. The double face NewJersey barriers act as the median of thedual lanes and the single face crash barriersprotect the stays.

In addition, on either side of the deck, edgeparapets are provided. These parapets andbarriers are aligned in tune with horizontal'S' curve of the bridge and the verticalcamber and then stitched to the deck. 20mm space between all parapets andbarriers are covered with PVC sealant andcell rods.

Aesthetically pleasing Wadi Abdoun bridge in Jordan

Finishing Works

The entire bridge surface of 41000 Sqmwas painted with three coats of anti-carbonation paint. The bridge deck of 9400Sqm was cleaned, ground, primed and thenwaterproofed. It is then paved with a 75mm thick layer of asphalt to the extent of6700 Sqm.

In addition, the deck portion between theparapet and crash barriers was paved with75mm thick layer of screed concrete to theextent of 140 Cum.

In spite of its high quality standards,complex design and geometry, the bridgewas built with precision and this appearsas a magnificent structure, architecturallypleasing.

The elegant Y-shaped pylons, the deck on'S'-shape horizontal curve, the uniformityin the liners of the tall pylons and parapetsgives the bridge an unique and aestheticappearance.

The beauty of the bridge is enhanced with

flood lights on top of each of the pile caps,pylon walls, top of pylons and cable staylocations.

On the barriers, custom designed specialluminaires are provided to illuminate thebridge deck. Optical fibers are provided oneither side of pylon face running from topto the floor of pile cap. On the whole, thebridge glitters like a cluster of twinklingstars in the night.

The bridge was built between two valleysand hence the name Wadi, meaning Valley(In Arabic). As the terrain had a slopingsurface, transportation of segments wassomewhat difficult.

Hence trailers had to be suitably modifiedfor carrying the segments. Work wascarried out round the clock in the coldweather conditions with temperatureranging from 0-10 degree Celsius in themorning hours to sub-zero temperatures inthe nights.

This unique and complex bridge was openedto traffic on December 14, 2006.

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A grand exhibition hall Cum conferencecentre in Mauritius was built by L&T toboost the prospects of the tourism industryand thereby strengthening the economy ofthe Government of Mauritius. The StateInvestment Corporation initiated theprocess of realizing this dream of Mauritiusin the year 2002 through their subsidiarycompany named “Les Pailles InternationalConference Centre Limited”. The initiativegot further developed when the governmentof Mauritius planned to host the SIDS UNConference at this venue. Meanwhile thegovernment of India decided to extendfinancial aid to the tune of 15 million USDollars for this project. 50% of the totalfinancial aid is being given as grant andbalance as line of credit agreement.

Swami Vivekananda InternationalConvention Centre (SVICC) is located atLes Pailles, close to the capital city, Port ofLouis. The site measures 260m x 150mwith a green carpet of around 80m x 150min the front. In addition,mountains

surrounded on three sides, gives it anaturally beautiful and picturesque view andenhances the beauty of the structure. Asone approaches the entrance to structure,the tall and imposing basalt stone pillarswith stone masonry compound wall, gateetc. attracts the visitor and gives him a verywarm welcome to the complex. The frontageof the site is covered with a beautiful lushgreen lawn, fountains and pathways, whichmakes the entire environment aestheticallyvery pleasing and interesting. The mainaccess road runs across the landscapedareas and leads to the car parking which isdesigned to accommodate 500 cars. Theroad connects to the ramps, which acts asapproach to the main portico at groundfloor level. There is also a grand staircase,which is finished with granite stone andstainless steel handrail.

The project comprises of a grand multiplecomplex having polyvalent hall,amphitheatre, entrance atrium-Cum-banquet hall with kitchen facilities, meeting

rooms and conference halls with translationfacilities and extensive landscaping to mergewith the surrounding valleys.

Project Authorities

“Les Pailles International Conference CentreLimited”, a wholly owned subsidiary ofState Investment Corporation (SIC) ofMauritius (clients) appointed EDRC(Engineering Design and Research Center)of L&T India, as Architects and Designersfor the project. Chuttur and PartnersLimited, Mauritius, were appointed as theEmployer’s Representative to ensure projectimplementation. Additionally, the clientengaged the Chief Engineer and Deputy ChiefArchitect of Ministry of PublicInfrastructure to advice on the project. Mr.Eelco DeJong was appointed as theScenographe Advisor for the project.

The turnkey construction of the ExhibitionCentre including complete civil, structural,architectural, roadwork, hard and soft

Front view of Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre, Mauritius

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landscaping, services, furniture, kitchenequipment and sewage treatment plant werecarried out by the L&T-Shapoorji PallonjiJoint Venture from India.

Commencing the construction of the projectin October 2003, it was scheduled forcompletion by August 15, 2004. However,due to adverse weather conditions, newfacilities and additional requirements of theclient, revisions and modifications requiredfor the UN conference including many otherfactors affected the construction scheduleand finally the project was completed inDecember, 2004.

A grand staircase finished with graniteflooring and stainless steel decorativehandrails, provides access to the ConventionCentre and this also leads to the portico.The portico sports five grand circularcolumns clad with aluminium compositepanels (ACP) each symmetrically inclinedand branching off into four bracings, whichsupport the huge lower canopy clad withtriangular shaped ACPs interspersed withdecorative light fittings.

The front facade of the Centre comprises ofdouble glazed semi-unitised structuralglazing ensconced by ACP cladding. Theextremities of the front facade are finishedwith external emulsion paint with atriangular structural glazing on either sidegiving it an aesthetic appeal.

The arch roof of the entire buildingcomprises of structural steel trusses andpurlins covered with prepainted GI sheetsfixed with stainless steel screws. The roofculminates in the front upper canopysheathed in prepainted GI sheet claddingand supported by MS pipe bracings cladwith ACP. The canopy further flows downon either side in the form of architecuralribs clad with ACP and ending in a shoe

shaped pedestal. These ribs and pedestalsconnected by epoxy painted MS pipepergolas are repeated 13 times on eitherside along the entire length of the Centre togive a smooth flowing arch shape to thestructure.

Two fully glazed automatic sliding doors of3 m width flanked by two side entrancedoors provide access to the main entranceto the Centre. The glass sliding doors areprotected during cyclones by fullycollapsible aluminium shutters.

The Entrance Atrium

Depending on event requirements thespacious and wide open entrance hall of1700 sqm area is put to use as an atriumreception area or as a banquet hall. This isfinished with mirror polished granite stonepatterned flooring, gypsum board falseceiling with textured paint finish anddecorative lighting. The front wall is cladwith laminated wooden panels while theother walls are finished with acrylic emulsionpaint. The atrium has a central dome atdouble height finished with gypsum boardand Plaster of Paris with decorative opticalfibre multicoloured lighting.

The hall is furnished with upholstered sofasets and glass tables to serve as a galareception area. It is also provided with twobar counters and banquet tables and chairsfor dining. This can accommodate 500guests.

The atrium is served by two passenger liftsof 21 persons capacity and 10 personscapacity and two staircases finished withgranite stone flooring and stainless steelhandrails, for access to the upper and lowerfloors. The heavier lift is used as a servicelift and goes to the basement floor also.The adjacent staircase also leads to the

Lush green pathway leading to the entrance

basement floor, while the other lift andstaircase serve the upper floors only.

The far end of the atrium hall has threehuge acoustically panelled laminatedwooden doors, one leading to the 6 m wideVIP corridor, another to the 3.6 m wideservice corridor, and the central one opensto the grand Polyvalent Hall.

Major Items of Civil Works

Description of Work Quantity# Excavation : 83,593 Cum# Concrete : 10,144 Cum# Reinforcement : 1,200 tons# Formwork : 52,613 Sqm# Structural Steel : 657 tons# Roof Sheeting : 8000 Sqm# Waterproofing : 6351 Sqm# Block Masonary : 2893 Cum# Plaster : 40,792 Sqm# Granite stone

Flooring : 5,928 Sqm# Kota stone Flooring : 3,291 Sqm# Ceramic & Vitrified

Tiles Flooring & dado : 4,723 Sqm# Granolithic Flooring : 5,965 Sqm# Painting : 55,012 Sqm# False Ceiling : 12,194 Sqm# Wall paneling &

Partition : 2,430 Sqm# Structural Glazing : 289 Sqm# ACP Cladding : 3,740 Sqm# Retractable seats : 1,000 Nos# Tables, Chairs,

Theatre seats, Sofas& other furniture : 3,300 Nos

# Stainless Steel Railing : 290 Rmt# Asphalt Road : 8,330 Sqm# Interlocking Pavers : 12,392 Sqm# External Landscaping : 12,000 Sqm# Stone masonary

boundary wall : 1000 Rmt

The Polyvalent Hall

The moment one steps inside the PolyvalentHall, this gives an inspired feeling of awe bythe very sheer size and grandness of thishall spanning 70m x 50 m with an area ofalmost 3500 sqm and a minimum ceilingheight of 15 m. The hall has a seatingcapacity of 2500 or a standing capacity of8000 persons. It can cater to trulymultifunctional requirements such ashosting major conferences, tradeexhibitions, music concerts, car shows, civicreceptions, gala events and many otherconceivable uses.

The hall is finished with mirror polishedkota stone and granite band patternedflooring with removable duct openings inthe floor to serve as service ducts in thecourse of events. Roll-up carpets have been

35

provided in the aisles. The false ceiling inslightly curved profile and oval patterns ispartly made of perforated gypsum tilesfinished with emulsion paint and partly ofseamless gypsum board acoustically treatedwith cellulose fibres. The front wall andlower panels of side walls are plastered andfinished with emulsion paint. The upper sidewalls are clad with acoustically treatedlaminated wooden panels with glass woolinsulation while the rear wall has perforatedgypsum tile panels with cellulose fibreacoustic treatment. The walls havearchitectural motif leafs made of MS epoxypainted pipes illuminated with decorativelights. The main hall lighting comprises ofmetal halide lamps suspended from the falseceiling and from a centrally positioned MSepoxy painted tubular double ring frame of30 m diameter.

The seating capacity of 2500 consists of1000 motorised and remote controlledretractable seat grandstand in two columns,which can be retracted to occupy a width ofonly 1.5 m when not in use. The other 1500seats are provided in the form of stackable

upholstered chairs which can be easilyarranged or removed as per requirement,thus making the entire hall fully availableto host events within a short span of time.

The hall is provided with a modular stageof 200sqm with a provision for adjustmentof height from 1.2-2 m for holding stageevents like concerts, seminars and publicmeetings. In addition, a back projectionscreen of size 50 m x 15 m with a motorhas also been provided for operating thesame.

The Polyvalent Hall is equipped with stateof the art BOSE sound system with top hungspeakers in double cluster system to caterfor various events like seminars,conferences, exhibitions, light musicconcerts, etc.

The hall is served by technical galleries at 9m level on either side along the entire lengthof the hall accessible by spiral staircasesfrom the media galleries at 6 m level oneither side of the VIP Lounge overlookingthe Polyvalent Hall at the first floor. These

media galleries and technical galleries areused for running the service utilities,cameras and lighting equipment and crewduring major events.

The Polyvalent Hall is flanked by VIPcorridor on the South side, the servicecorridor on the North side and the UN Areacorridor on the East side, with 10 nos. ofacoustically paneled laminated woodendoors serving as exit doors leading to thesecorridors.

The VIP Area

Situated on the south side of the Polyvalenthall is the 6 m wide VIP corridor finishedwith patterned granite stone flooring,gypsum board false ceiling and emulsionpaint on walls. This corridor is alsoaccessible from the Entrance Atrium andserves the VIP meeting rooms and VIPwaiting lounges along the corridor. TheseVIP rooms are designed to facilitate closed-door meetings/interactions as perrequirements.

# Total Area of Site$ Originally Proposed : 53,030 Sqm$ Final Site Area : 54,805 Sqm

# Total Built-Up Area(Inclusive of open spaces like portico)

$ Originally Proposed : 14,650 Sqm$ Additional Scope

(UN requirement) : 2,700 Sqm$ Total : 17,350 Sqm

# Basement Floor(Areas exclusive of Circulation)

$ For all ServiceFacilities : 650 Sqm

$ Media Facilities : 1169 SqmPolice Roomincluding Detentionroom : 58 Sqm

$ Staff mess includingToilet facilities : 88 Sqm

$ Underground WaterTank: 400,000 Litrecapacity : 1 No

$ Sewage Collectionsump: 60,000 Litrecapacity : 1 No

# Ground Floor$ Reception / Banquet

Hall for 500 persons : 1941 Sqm$ Polyvalent Hall

(50m x 70m) : 3500 Sqm$ 2500 Seating Capacity

with 1500 in Stackable Seats1000 Seats in retractable stand or8000 Floating Capacity

$ Meeting Room(8.2x10m) : 2 Nos

$ Office Room(16.7x10m) : 1 No

$ VIP Waiting Lounge(8.2x10m) : 1 No

$ Toilet Blocks : 5 Nos$ Dressing / Change

room facilities$ V.V.I.P Office Space : 610 Sqm$ Technical Manager/

BMS Room : 82 Sqm$ Kitchen with

preparation Facilityfor 700 Covers : 314 Sqm

# First Floor$ Amphitheatre - 450

Fixed Theatre Seats : 405 Sqm$ VIP Lounge - 40

Persons Capacity : 88 Sqm$ Plenary Hall for UN

working group with500 seating : 710 Sqm

$ Translation Booth : 7 Nos$ Meeting Room - 20

person Capacity : 65 Sqm$ Conference Room-300

Person Capacity : 318 Sqm$ With Interpretation

Booth facility$ Meeting Room - 60

Person Capacity : 118 Sqm$ Documentation Room : 20 Sqm$ Toilet Blocks : 4 Nos$ TV Camera Balcony :100 Sqm$ AHU rooms : 6 Nos

# Second Floor$ Translation Booths : 8 Nos$ Projector Room : 2 Nos$ Technical Walkway

@ height of 9 malong the lengthof the Hall : 2 Nos

# Exclusive Installations$ Lifts : 4 Nos$ Retractable

Stand(fixed seats) : 1000 Nos

$ Modular Stageadjustable from1.2 m to 1.8 m : 200 Sqm

$ Modular stage 1mFixed Height : 25 Sqm

$ Kitchen Equipmentfor European,Indian & Chinesecuisine (formax. 700 persons) : 1 Complete

set$ Motorised

Backstagecurtain 50 m x 15 m : 1 No

$ Sewage TreatmentFacility

$ Dedicagted SewageTreatment : 30 cum/day to

240 cum/day$ Diesel

Generator Set : 730 KVA,500 KW

Salient Features of the Project

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These rooms are finished with vitrifiedceramic tile flooring, gypsum board falseceiling and emulsion paint on walls.Laminated wooden doors with accesscontrol mechanism and aluminium powdercoated windows with venetian blinds areprovided in these VIP enclosures. A separatetoilet block is also provided for the VIPenclosures.

The VIP corridor has three aluminiumpowder coated partly glazed doors withpanic devices serving as emergency exits tothe exterior of the building, where anexclusive VIP parking area is allocated.

The VIP corridor also leads to the rear sideof the building which houses the UN Area,through another huge door.

The UN Area

Situated on the east side of the Polyvalenthall is the 3 m wide UN Area corridorfinished with patterned granite stoneflooring, gypsum board false ceiling andemulsion paint on walls.

This corridor is also accessible from thePolyvalent Hall and serves the UN Areaoffices and meeting rooms along thecorridor. These offices were incorporatedin the building as per space requirementsfor the UN Conference and now partly serveas the office of the client management staff.

These rooms are finished with granolithicconcrete flooring covered with carpets,gypsum board false ceiling and emulsionpaint on walls. Laminated wooden doorsand aluminium powder coated windows withVenetian blinds are provided in these rooms.Separate toilet facilities are provided forthe UN Area offices.

The UN Area corridor has two aluminiumpowder coated partly glazed service doors.Also located on the rear side are two loadingbays for movement of heavy vehicles,containers etc, which provides direct accessto the rear entrance of the building. Twomotorized remote controlled rollingshutters of size 4.5 m x 3.6 m. serve theseloading bays.

The UN Area offices are served by twopassenger lifts of 13 person capacity andtwo staircases finished with granite stoneflooring and stainless steel handrails. Theselead to the first floor of UN Area which hasa large conference hall of 300 personsseating capacity along with translationbooths. The UN Area corridor, throughanother huge door, leads back to the Servicecorridor on the North side.

Situated on the north side of the Polyvalenthall is the 3.6 m wide service corridor. This

corridor serves the kitchen and BMScontrol room situated along the corridor.

The kitchen spread over 400 sqm areahouses high quality kitchen equipment andserver to cater for 700 persons with Indian,Chinese and European cuisines. Varioustypes of equipment provided in the kitcheninclude the main cooking island, grills,ovens, mincers, cutters, choppers, blenders,mixers, proofer, refrigerators, cold rooms,dishwashers, storage shelves & racks, worktables, sinks, trolleys and exhaust hoods.

The kitchen is equipped with an externalgas tank and piping network and adedicated fire protection system. Also, ithas a separate toilet and shower facilitiesfor its staff. Separate dry and wet garbagebins with exclusive air-conditioning systemhave also been provided in the kitchen.

The service corridor also serves the BMScontrol room and associated facilities. Thisroom houses the Building Automation

System for AHU’s, chillers, externallighting, DG set, FPS pumps, water storageand distribution, lifts, CCTV system, AccessControl system, EPABX and Public Addresssystem and LAN.

The Upper Atrium Area

The lift and staircase lobbies open to theatrium area at first floor. The 15 m widecentral opening is circumscribed by adecorative stainless steel and laminatedglass handrailing of 1100 mm height withits base clad in granite stone.

The structural glazing provides an excellentview of the entrance road and extensivelandscaping in front. The atrium is used asa reception cum waiting area with sofasand tables arranged in an informal pattern.

The atrium leads to meeting rooms on thesouth side, amphitheatre on the north sideand the VIP lounge at the centre.

Ref:PICC/03/1204/C3

31 December 2004

Kind Attn.: Mr. V. B. Gadgil

Dear Sir

At the outset let me wish you and your family a very Happy New Year 2005

We are pleased to note that International Convention Centre is now ready to host the SIDS

Conference to be held in early January 2005. We thank you for your support given to

complete this magnificent project. We hope this will be another landmark building your

organization have constructed around the world.

On this occasion we express our sincere thanks and gratitude to all the members of site

execution team including site team lead by your project manager Mr. Sushant Shah

Deo for their pain staking effort to ensure the completion of the building with good quality

Standard in a very short duration. They practically forgotten their personal time for past one

year to ensure the completion of the building for the conference and we have no hesitation to

mentioned that without their effort this would not have been possible.

We would also like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to Mr. S. Bandyopadhyay

and the entire design team at EDRC, Chennai who always stood by and extended their support

time to time during concurrency of the project.

While on the subject we wish to inform you that there are few snag list items as highlighted in

the taking over certificate which are required to be taken up after the UN Conference. We are

sure you wil continue to extend your support to complete the snag list items.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Cc. The Chairman - Les Pailles International Conference Center Ltd.

The Chief Architect - Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport

The Chief Engineer - Ministry of Public Infrastructure Land Transport

The Chief Engineer - Electrical Services Division (M&E)

Client’s Adviser - Mr. Ramjan

Larsen & Tourbo Ltd. Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd: Joint Venture

Mount Poonamalle Road

P. O. 979, Manapakkam

Chennai - 89.

KCHUTTUR, MRICS

LES PAILLES INTERNATIONAL

CONFERENCE CENTRE LTD

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA INTERNATIONAL

CONVENTION CENTRE AT DOMAINE PAILLES

Chuttur & Partners Ltd.

Project Managers

48, Level 4

Edition Le Printemps Bldg

4, Club Road

Mauritius

Tet:(230) 686 8801

686 8802

Fax:(230)686 8656

E-mail: capLtd@lntnet.mu

In association with:

Driver Consult Limited.

Shire House

Pyramid Close

Narthampton

NN3 8PH

Tel: +44(0) 1604 774 960

Fax: +44(0) 1604 774 961

E-mail:

Info@driverconsult.com

Web:www.driverconsult.com

VAT Reg No.: VAT20199479

37

The Amphitheatre

Situated adjacent to the atrium area andopposite to the Conference Hall is the grandAmphitheatre which has 450 seatsarranged in theatre style. This hall isinstalled with sound soak tiles in falseceiling and wall panels for completeacoustic insulation. The Amphitheatre isequipped with state of the art BOSE soundsystem, top hung with spot lighting andprovision for a projection facility. It is alsoprovided with an exclusive air-conditioningsystem.

Manpower deployed on the project

# Peak Strength of Staff : 40# Peak Strength of Labour : 738# Peak Strength of

Departmental workmen : 432# Peak Strength of

Subcontractor workmen : 329

The VIP Lounge

Situated on top of the entrance to thePolyvalent hall and flanked on both sides bythe media enclosures, is the VIP Lounge,which provides a bird’s eye view of theproceedings in the Polyvalent Hall. It hasan exclusive comfortable seating area forabout 40 VIPs. Situated just above the VIPLounge on the second floor are theInterpretation Booths.

These 8 cabins overlooking the PolyvalentHall are used for providing translationfacilities during major conferences. Doubleglazed window panels are used foreliminating sound interference betweenthem.

An MS Ladder provides access to the

catwalk platform above the false ceiling ofthe Polyvalent Hall. This platform made ofstructural steel framework and chequeredplate walkway is provided for maintenanceof electrical and other services above falseceiling level.

Ancilliary Structures

In addition, there is a Services Room withon the Lower Floor, which were also usedas media facilities and security controlrooms for the UN Conference.TheConvention Centre is provided with anunderground sump of 400 cum capacity forwater storage.

An underground sewage sump of 60 cumcapacity is provided for collection of wastewater from the kitchen and toilets. Thiswater is pumped to the dedicated SewageTreatment Plant for treatment andrecirculation as irrigation water for theextensive landscaping.

Also, non-contact ultrasonic level sensorsand transmitters are provided in the watertank and sewage sump for monitoring thelevel of water. These sensors are connectedto the BMS and can be monitored on thedigital display panels directly in the BMSRoom.

The Substation Building, the CoolingTowers and the Sewage Treatment Plant aresituated on the rear side of the Centre.

Landscaping

The entire complex is served by an asphaltroad network of 8,300 sqm. Interlockingpaver blocks of 12,400 sqm area areprovided in parking and walkways in themain parking lot in the front and ancilliary

parking and service spaces on the sides andrear of the building.

The state of the art Convention Centre isaesthetically complemented with extensivelush landscaping extending over 12,000sqm area all around the complex.

A total of 425 Royal palms and other treeswere planted along the central avenue infront of the Centre and along the side roadsincluding 15,000 shrubs and 22000 nos.of ground covers & climbers as well as7,800 sqm of grass turfing.

An elaborate irrigation system is providedfor proper watering, which comprises ofpop-up type sprinklers on the extensivegrass mounds and tap-off valves at regularintervals in the landscaped area all aroundthe complex.

The entire complex of the Convention Centreis enclosed with a 1,000 m long randomrubble stone masonary compound wall of600 mm height and 300 mm thicknessresting on RCC beam-column framework.

The stone wall is topped with bushhammered stone coping and cylindricalpinewood poles of 150 mm diameter asverticals interlinked with 2 or 3 nos. of 100mm diameter poles as horizontal members.This compound wall terminates at the frontentrance gates in the form of a 2 m highdisplay wall bearing the brass insignia ofthe Swami Vivekananda InternationalConvention Centre.

Appreciation

In the face of all odds, the SwamiVivekananda International ConventionCentre was made ready in a record durationof 12 months (execution at site) to host theUnited Nations SIDS Conference inJanuary 2005.

A large number of local specialised agencieswere appointed by the client for variousactivities like partitions, furniture,telecommunication facilities, mediafacilities, etc. and our staff and workmenwere actively involved in coordinating andassisting the client in the above activitiesbefore as well as during the course of theentire UN Conference.

A large number of dignitaries visited theproject at various stages duringconstruction and expressed their warmappreciation at the design, execution,quality, progress and commitment of theentire team in making the project a success.A few citations are enclosed for reference.

Sushant Shah DeoProject Manager

Side view of the entrance

38

The Kensington Oval (rather perfect circle)is located to the west of the capital-cityBridgetown on the island of Barbados inWest Indies. “The Oval” is one of the majorsporting facilities on the island and isprimarily used for cricket.

Locally referred to as “The Mecca” ofcricket, it has hosted many important andexciting cricket games between local,regional, and international teams during itsmore than 120 year history.

Cricket at the Oval began in 1882 and thefirst international test match was believedto be held in January 1930 when the WestIndies and England played to a draw.

Since the genesis, there have been 43 Testmatches played on the Kensington Ovalgrounds, 21 of those matches won by theWest Indian cricket team. The expandedand re-developed Kensington stadium wasthe venue for the 2007 Cricket World Cupfinal between Australia and Sri Lanka, heldon April 28 2007.

Re-development by L&T

Even as our ‘boys in blue’ went throughtheir paces, and millions of Indians debatedand deliberated on who would make it tothe finals and bag the World Cup forCricket, Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T)made its mark in cricket’s most keenlyawaited contest and satisfactorily completedthe re-development of the famed KensingtonOval at Barbados, West Indies. L&T receivedthe order for this from World CupBarbados Inc (WCB) and the BarbadosLocal Organizing Committee – CWC 2007,West Indies. The engineering, constructionand technology major took the totalresponsibility for the construction andexecution of the project and ensured thatthe rigorous specifications of theInternational Cricket Council (ICC) weremet before the first ball was bowled at thehistoric stadium. L&T was initially selected by the WCB inFebruary 2005 for providing the Pre-construction Management Contracting’. Primarily, this involved carrying out project

planning, formulating constructionmethods, evaluating tenders and finalizingdomestic sub-contractors during pre-construction period. This projectconsultancy was successfully completed byL&T. Soon, the WCB also assigned theconstruction services to L&T. In August2005, WCB appointed L&T as ‘GeneralContractor’ and entrusted the totalresponsibility for the re-development ofKensington Oval grounds in Barbados. Asa project execution strategy, the entirescope of work was split into severalpackages and the task was assigned todifferent domestic sub-contractors and theentire project was executed by L&T underits overall supervision and responsibility. Accordingly, the entire project wascompleted by L&T in 18 months.

Scope of work Out of the stands at the Oval, two standsremain physically undisturbed: The Hall &Griffith and Mitchie Hewitt Stands. Theother works included shifting and relayingof the cricket pitch and playing arena with

A bird’s eye view of the Kensington Oval Cricket Stadium in Barbados, West Indies

Saw the finale of World Cup Cricket 2007

39

excellent drainage facilities andconstruction of practice pitches to thestringent ICC standards, completeunderground services, refurbishment of twostands and construction of four newpermanent stands – the players’ pavilion,Media centre, VIP suites and galleries,vendors’ concessions external concourses,etc., external facade and associated MEPworks including landscaping and roadnetworks. The Kensington & Inniss stand,which normally accommodates the commonBarbados public, was rechristened asGreenidge & Haynes Stand.

Legendary Stands

Kensington Oval is a historical cricketground built with additions of various standson various occasions. The Pick Wick stand,the oldest stand was almost 100 years old.In order to host the World Cup final, theseating capacity of the stadium wasincreased from 15,000 to 27,000. The oldstadium was given an emotional farewellrepresented almost by all the cricket legendson May 31, 2005 to give way for theconstruction of the new look stadium. Inaddition to increased seating capacity andmaintaining the perfect boundary line, thenew stadium is provided with state of the

art media facilities and world-class facilitiesfor the players.

The Stands built on various occasions werenamed after the legends of Cricket as wellas from all walks of life who hailed fromBarbados.

The new stadium also retains theselegendary names to maintain the legacy ofold Kensington Oval.

" The Grand Stand was named after thethree famed W’s of the West IndiesCricket, Sir Frank Mortimer Maglinne

Two different views of the Worrel, Walcott and Weekes (3W) stand

40

I was among the 18,000 persons who,generally speaking, enjoyed [the recent]Kensington Forever presentation at whatcan now be aptly described as “TheMecca of International Cricket.”

I have visited Lord’s at least four timesand also attended two matches at thefamous Sydney Cricket Ground inAustralia, but I’ll have to give the newKensington Oval my vote.

Downside

Perhaps the only downside on thatSaturday was the duration of theentertainment component of theprogramme, which, in my view, was muchtoo long.

I am of the view, however, that in theeuphoria of the event, someone,somewhere, seemed to have overlookedthe very important role of thecontractors and workers in themagnificent transformation of The Ovaland, indeed, in making it ready to receiveabout 18 000 patrons that Saturday.

The main contractors, Larsen & Toubro,had their problems in the initial stagesof the project, but it must be recorded asa credit to their management skills and

tremendous experience that despite theinitial problems, they were somehow ableto plan and use the local resources, andalso get the strong Barbadian workforceto break with age-old tradition innumerous cases, by working beyond thecall of duty, even on weekends and publicholidays.

This dispels the myth about theBarbadian work ethic and speaksvolumes for the commitment of theBarbadian workforce on the project.Larsen & Toubro have demonstratedtheir stature as a world-classengineering and construction companywith wide experience in projects aroundthe world.

Praise must also go to the localcontractors who partnered with Larsen& Toubro to deliver this magnificentproject.

Congratulations on a job well done. Youmake us all proud of “The Mecca.” Theonly fitting climax to its greattransformation is for the West Indies towin the ICC Cricket World Cup Final atKensington on April 28.

John Smith

Worrel, Sir Clyde Leopold Walcott &Sir Everton de Courcy Weekes

" Players Pavilion was named after thelegendry Cricketing Icon, the onlyliving National Hero of Barbados SirGarfield St Auburn Sobers

" The stand which is occupied most bythe local population was named afterthe greatest opening pair in crickethistory Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge &Desmond Leo Haynes.

" The Media Centre is named after thefamed cricket commentator of theyester years Coppin the famed presenttime commentator & Cricket writerTony Cozier and administrator PeterShort.

" One of the stands is named afterHewitt & Inniss

" Another is named after the bowlersWes Hall & Charlie Griffith

" The bowling ends were named after thelegendry fast bowlers Joel Garner(Northern End) & Malcolm Marshall(Southern End)

" The temporary stand built forCWC’2007 is the largest of its kind,built temporarily for any sportingevent worldwide

Barring the grand stand, where piling workswere carried out, most of the stands andbuildings were built on conventional footingfoundation. The construction of thesuperstructure mostly involved cast-in-situreinforced concrete frames with precastconcrete panels and structural steel trusseswith sheet roofing, complete withmechanical, electrical, plumbing andsanitary services.

Except for Player’s Pavilion, all the roof isof steel with a combination of steel sheetingand (or) translucent sheeting. The seatingelements were of precast concreteconstruction. Most of the area is concretescreed flooring. The media center andplayers pavilion umpire/scorer area havetiling. So too, the suites in the variousstands. The floor in the player’s area is ofheavy-duty rubber and is meant to take thewear and tear from the spiked shoes. Twoof the stands have interesting architecturalfeatures, which can be seen from thephotographs. The front portion of the roofhas translucent sheeting and the rearportion steel sheeting. The roof of the grandstand has an architectural feature which ismade of shapes cut of from cones. This shapehas been formed using aluminium panels,which have been detailed and made ofvarious sizes and then fit on the steel frameto form the shape. The rear portion of thisstand has louvers, which are meant to allowfree flow of air. The sightscreen is made of

The statue of Sir Garfield Sobers at the entrance

Kudos to workmen on success of ‘Mecca’Excerpted from Nation News - Barbados dated February 27, 2007,

41

adjustable blinds, which couldbe switched over from black on one sideto white on the other depending on the colorof the ball used.

The majority of the areas are not air-conditioned. There is air-conditioning inpart of the media center, umpire/scorer areaand the suites. Split units are used for air-conditioning, except in the grand standwhere there is a centralized unit. There areconcourses behind the stands and this allowsfree movement of people when they comeout of the stands. These would form theexit routes. The food courts located arealong the concourses. The stadium isdesigned in such a way that areas can beevacuated in eight minutes.

The Playing Arena

Several layers of soils having differentcharacteristics have formed the playingarena. While the top layer has beenincorporated with a mixture of various typesof soils, for the proper growth of the grassroot, the lower layers are built with granularmaterials, which allow percolation of waterdownwards. The playing area has also beenformed with a slope with the level differenceof around two feet from the center to theedge of the field. Below the soil layers, aseries of perforated pipes have been laidcriss crossing the field. Each of these pipesterminates at the edge of the field into hollowplastic chambers called storm chambers.These chambers are open at the bottom.

The water from the field, which percolatesthrough the soil, gets into the pipes and isdischarged into the storm chambers. Thestorm chambers thus act as a buffer storagespace for water, which gradually seeps intothe ground. This design prevents floodingof the field even during very heavy rain. Atthe same time, the irrigation of the field isdone by way of sprinklers, which arecontrolled by automatic valves connected

to a timer. The area between the edge of thebuilding and field area is covered withflooring – Rubberock, rubber particlesmixed with adhesive cast in situ to maintainthe slope.

The over all stadium has been designed asper ICC norms. The view from the seatingareas follows the ICC requirement that everyspectator should be able to see above the

Greenidge & Haynes stand with spectators during the match

Playing arena overlooking the stands and pavilion

42

head of the spectator in front. The seatingdesign ensured that there were no blindspots. Besides the entire boundary wouldbe seen from any position. The stadium hasCCTV, PV/VA and fire alarm systemsmeeting modern requirements. There areconcessions behind the stand, which areadequate for the catering. There are barsin almost all the stands. The slip lane fromthe main road has been designed to facilitatethe free movement of vehicles for drop offof spectators. Challenges

22 management staff consisting ofengineers and administrative personnelwere deputed for executing the project.Besides, 24 skilled workers especiallyformwork technicians and masons were alsosent specially to take care of the concreteconstruction using the specialized L&TFormwork, which was not used by theindustry in any part of this island. L&TFormwork system components were alsoshifted to Barbados and this was the maincontributing factor for the speedycompletion of the project.

Since the job was essentially executed bymedium and small contractors chosen fromthe region, they did not have the requisiteexperience of building major structures likethis with fast track completion schedules.Hence, L&T had to meticulously plan the

entire project and accordingly, harness thepotential of the local contractors bymotivating the workforce and completed theproject on time.

As the basic designs were prepared by anUK based principal architect and detailedstructural engineering had to be done fromtheir basic concepts, designing workinvolved enormous information flowbetween architects, consultants anddesigners and this was a massive exercisein itself.

To arrest this problem, L&T formulated asystem of monitoring documents anddrawings and mid course reviews withDocument Control Index were made tocatch-up the lost time. This helped inensuring that the gap between the plannedactivity and the actual achieved was not toowide.

In addition, due to budget constraints, wehad to resort to value engineering exercisesand this slowed down the project a bit. Hereagain the programming and monitoringprocess took into considerations thespeeding up operations to complete the jobon time.

The last but not least challenge involved inchanging the mindsets of local players andbring them in tune with style required forfast track projects and also motivate the

workforce to work beyond normal hours.

What has unfolded here in a short period oftime is a magnificent masterpiece and aworld-class stadium built with a blend ofskills of different international playersincluding Barbados. All these forces haveworked in synergy towards creating theredeveloped Kensington Oval, the venue forthe world cup final, which was played onApril 28, 2007.

Grand Finale The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup took placein the West Indies from 13 March to 28April 2007, using the sport’s one-dayinternational format. There were 51matches. The 16 competing teams wereinitially divided into four groups, with thetwo best-performing teams from each groupmoving on to a “Super 8” format.

From this, Australia, New Zealand, SriLanka and South Africa won through tothe semi-finals, with Australia defeating SriLanka in the final to win their thirdconsecutive World Cup. Australia’sunbeaten record in this year’s tournamentincreased their total to 29 consecutiveWorld Cup matches without loss.

P. Surendra BabuProject Manager

Another view of the gallery

43

The Republic of Suriname, a Latin AmericanCountry formerly known as Dutch Guianalies in the Northern part of South Americancontinent. It shares the borders with Brazilon the South, French Guiana on the East,Guiana on the West and Atlantic Cost onthe North. Suriname is the smallestindependent country in the South AmericanContinent and it has a dense tropical rainforest with a great diversity of flora andfauna. The climate is tropical, moderatedby trade winds, mostly rolling from the hillsover narrow coastal plain with swamps. Theeconomy mainly depends on bauxite and goldmining as well as high potential of thehydropower.

One third of the population of Suriname isof Indian origin and this is the largest Hindispeaking population residing outside ourcountry. In addition, it has a long-standingrelation with India. The total electricalenergy produced in Suriname per year is2.014 billion units and the domesticconsumption is 0.7billion unit.

When the government of India offered along term loan for developmental projectsfor the republic of Suriname, theEnergybedrijeven Company which looksafter the transmission and distribution ofelectrical energy made a proposal forconstructing 161kV transmission lineprojects including associated system fromParanam to Menckendam near capitalParamaribo. The power generated from theAfobaka hydropower station wastransmitted up to Paranam and thereafterit is distributed to consumers at lowervoltages which causes losses as high as 14%apart from low system stability andreliability.

ECC, the Construction Division of L&Timmediately took up this challenging projectfrom concept to commissioning basis andentered into a formal contract in March2004. The scope of work comprises ofdetailed design engineering, procurement,supply, transportation, installation, testingand commissioning of 161kV system, whichinvolved the following works:

" 161kV Double Circuit TransmissionLine.

" 161kV substation of 33kV&6.3kVindoor switchgears, power factorimproving system , powertransformers and 161kV outdoorswitchyard.

" Extension of existing 161kVswitchyard at Paranam.

" 25 km of HT out door cabling and

connection to the distribution system." Communication system from Paranam

to Menckendam via OPGW andinterconnection to the system with themain command center via OFC.

" SCADA System.

Salient Features

" Making soil investigation and routesurvey for 28km passing throughmarshy areas in Amazon forest belt.

" Providing detailed engineering forfoundation of substation, variousequipments, and transmission line (soilstrata varied from fine clay tobauxite).

" Providing detailed engineering forcomplete 161kV, 33kV and 6.3kVelectrical items to suite the systemfrequency of 60Hz.

" Stringing of 161kv transmission lineconductors from Paranam toMenckendam, having a total length of27.3 km through forest and slusharea.

" Construction of substation building atMenckendam and installing 33kV &6.3kV indoor switchgears, control andrelay system, communicationequipments and power factorimproving system.

" Supply and installation of 2 nos.161kV/33kV 50MVA transformersand one no.33kV/6.3kV 20MVAtransformer.

" 161kV out door circuit breakers,isolators, current transformers,

Substation transformer seperated with fire wall

Substation control building

44

transformers and lightning arrestors." SCADA system" Control and relay panels for

substation and switchyards." OPGW and OFC for system

interconnection." 161kV switchyard at Menckendam

and bay extension at Paranam." 25km of high tension XLPE cables to

connect distribution system.

Experiences

This was the first project L&T has venturedin to in South America and this is mostfarthest project ever undertaken by L&T.The project environment, the country andthe language were entirely new and this gaveeveryone involved in the project, altogethera different experience. Even though thecontract was signed in March 2004, theproject team was mobilized by middle ofSeptember 2004, because of delays inrealizing mobilization advance and establishthe approval from the competent agencies.

As the transmission line passes throughdense tropical forests, the initial surveywork was delayed by 3 months due toclearance of forest and formal approvalfrom the environmental authority.Moreover, we had to take great care tomaintain minimum disturbances to floraand fauna during the entire period ofconstruction. On completion of the projectthe environmental department issued acertificate to L&T for exemplary standardsin our working methods.

We experienced heavy landslides andcollapse of excavated pits due to the verynature of the soil and continuous as well asthe heavy downpour in March 2005,because of which the progress of work wastotally hampered. The local contractorswho were engaged in the work were notexperienced in this type of deep excavation.Hence, we had to completely stop the work.Later on it was understood that most of thecontracts workmen used to suspend alloutdoor works during March - August justto avoid the torrential rain.

In order to maintain our committed target,soon after the necessary approvals andclearances, we immediately mobilized therequired number of experienced workmenfrom India and the first batch of 30workmen reached Suriname by end March2005 and started the excavation. On arrivalof skilled workmen we developed specialarrangement of shorting and strutting withthick wire mesh supported by rail. Thus, wecompleted all 103 foundations bySeptember 2004 by augmenting some moreworkmen from India. With 120 highlyskilled workmen, we completed thetransmission line and substation work. Thebalance civil works of station building,switch yard and road works were completedwith the help of local contractors.

The major constraint faced by us was thedistance from various manufacturer worksand coordination of dispatches, travel andreceipt of materials. Major equipment suchas 50MVA transformers were shipped from

India on a special vessel with mounted cranethat can unload 80t in single piece. Most ofthe consignment took 60-90 days to reachthe Paramaribo port. During the period ofMarch to September 2005 the AtlanticOcean witnessed 16 major hurricanes thattremendously affected the travel time of thecargo ships.

In addition, from India we had sourcedvarious equipment from different parts ofthe world like High Tension Switch Gearsfrom Mexico, and Columbia, Insulatorsfrom USA, High Tension Power FactorImprovement System from UAE, Relaysfrom Finland, SCADA system from Sweden,Fire retardant doors from Germany etc.

The heavy torrential rains that was not verycommon in other part of the world delayedthe project initially, however we couldcomplete the entire project to thesatisfaction of the client, consultant andIndian diplomatic officials. The project wasformally dedicated to the nation on March17, 2006 by the Hon’ble President of TheRepublic of Suriname.

On completion of the project the ElectricityCompany could transmit and distribute80MW power with 6 to 8% reduction inlosses which saved a 6 million US Dollarsper year with enhanced system stability andreliability.

M. Nizar AhamedProject Manager

A view of the 161 kV transmission line alongside the existing LT lines

45

ECC constructed a 17 km long overlandconveyor for Lafarge Surma CementLimited (LSC), a joint venture company ofLafarge France and Cementos Molins,Spain. This is one of the longest single flightbelt conveyors in the world.

This Long Belt Conveyor (LBC) carrieslimestone and shale mined from NongtaraiLime- stone reserves of Meghalaya, Indiaand transports the material to a 1.2 millionton per year cement plant at NoaraiChhatak, Bangladesh set up by LSC.

The project benefits from importantfinancial backing through majorinternational lending institution.

The Project

The EPC contract of crushing andconveying of lime stone at a capacity of 800t/h has been executed by the Bulk MaterialHandling Business Unit of Larsen & ToubroLimited, ECC Division.

The system design of the LBC was providedby AUMUND France S.A.R.L. Thecontract includes design, engineering,procurement, construction, erection andcommissioning of the following systems andsub-systems:

" LBC system with associated sacrificial

belt conveyor and discharge beltconveyor

" Primary and secondary crushingsystems, equipment supplied by M/s.MMD U.K., input ROM limestone ofmax. 1 m size, final output product80 mm, with feeding apron feederand associated conveyors

" LBC maintenance vehicle" Power house with diesel generators" Electrical power distribution system

and plant control system" Auxiliaries - diesel oil handling system,

fire fighting system, dust extractionsystem and service water system

" Complete civil and structural work

17 km long cross country lime stone conveyor, world’s longest, built for Lafarge Surma Cement Plant in Bangladesh

46

Long Belt Conveyor

A horizontal and vertical curved troughedLBC was always recommended for ease ofmaintenance, low maintenance and lowtransportation cost compared to any othermode of transportation. LBC componentsinclude standard belt, idler, pulley, drivecomponents similar to any otherconventional belt conveyor.

Main Conveyor

For a long belt conveyor, central and uniformfeeding of the material is of paramountimportance, and this demands that thefeeding conveyor and the LBC is in the sameline and a foolproof control mechanism isinstalled.

In this project, this was achieved throughan interlock between the feeding conveyorand a hopper (mounted on a load cell),controlling the crusher discharge and anapron feeder and a sacrificial belt conveyor,leading to the LBC.

To ensure perfect protection of the LBC, abelt scale, a metal detector and an over bandmagnetic separator are provided on thesacrificial conveyor. Additional protection

is achieved by a belt rip detector at theloading point and also at the discharge point,a belt cleaning nozzle for cleaning thecarrying side of the belt and belt turnoverarrangement to avoid material contact withthe Idlers.

Power at the head end of the LBC is suppliedfrom the cement plant power station and a6.6 kV diesel generator power plantsupplies power at the tail end. A specializedcontrol system, monitors these two varyingsources of power supplies. The electricalsystem has been supplied and installed byM/s. ABB India Ltd.

The Challenges

Terrain and Route

The LBC takes off from the hills ofMeghalaya in India and runs through 1.5km of extremely hilly terrain in the Indiaportion.

The LBC also crosses numerous rivers,waterways and roads enroute toBangladesh.

To negotiate the physical barriers en routeto Bangladesh, the distance between the

trestles were increased. A total of 12bridges, six in India, six in Bangladesh, wereintroduced in the LBC route, to support thegallery. The shortest and longest lengths ofthe Bridges being 45 m and 100 m,respectively.

Weather Conditions

The structural steel gallery of the LBC aredesigned with the toughest weatherconditions of 195 km/h wind velocity, hightemperature variations and changingground contour.

The LBC takes off at Meghalaya, barely 40km from Cherapunji which receives thehighest rain fall in the world. Duringmonsoon, the average rain fall in a day is60 mm to 70 mm, which is 986 mm at itspeak

Considering the high wind velocity andtemperature variation, ease of erection andaccessibility of the site, a gallery span of24.5 m length with rectangularconfiguration was adjudged the bestselection. Two top chords of the gallery wasused for the travel of the maintenance vehicleas well.

Tail end view of conveyor for transporting limestone from Meghalaya (India) to Bangladesh for 800 tph Lafarge Cement Plant

47

Four legged trestles, at suitableintermediate locations were provided tonegotiate the high wind velocity. The galleryand trestle connections have been made bybase plates with slotted holes, to act assliding joint for the eventuality of thermalexpansion and wind drag.

Permanent colour coated sheets wereprovided to prevent water ingress and tosave the LBC from the devastating rain fall.Trestles in the plain land area were made ofRCC and the foundations have been coveredwith plum concrete or random rubblemasonary, to protect them from waterpercolation.

Immaculate planning of site activitiesavoided the regular flooding and maintainedthe delivery schedule. Entire civil works inthe flood prone areas were completed beforethe onset of the 2004 monsoon, structural,mechanical and electrical works werecompleted in between the monsoons of2004 and 2005.

The Maintenance

The route of the LBC is interesting in thesense that while it passes across the hills,rivers, village roads and paddy fields, it alsocrosses the international border ofIndia and Bangladesh.

In order to protect the LBC from flash floodand vegetation, as well as to preventdisturbance to the life style of the localpeople and environment, it runs all along ata clear height of 5 m from the ground level.

Providing a walk way along the conveyorwas not a feasible proposition due to theremote location of the conveyor corridorand moreover, this will serve as a means forillegal cross border trafficking.

The non existence of walk way and the 5 mground clearance all through, posed a majorproblem for the maintenance of the LBC.Therefore two diesel engine drivenmaintenance vehicles, located one each endin India and Bangladesh, solved the problemof the maintenance personnel.

The maintenance vehicles have the followingsalient features:

# Drive : Diesel engine# Carrying Capacity : 5 persons# Max. speed : 5 km/h in hills

and 15 km/h inplains

# Weight of eachvehicle : 4 t, including,

375 kg crew

A view of the belt conveyor passing through structural steel galleries

Technical Parameters

" Capacity (nominal) : 800 t/h" Capacity (peak) : 960 t/h" Belt speed : 4 m/s" Belt width : 800 mm" Length : 16833 m" In India : 6833 m (1500 m in hills, 5333 m in plain land)" In Bangladesh : 10000 m (totally in plain land)" Lift : 59 m" Maximum slope : 14°" Sky radius : 1200 m" Ground radius : 500 m" Horizontal radius : min 4000 m, max 30000 m" Moisture content : limestone 4%, shale 16%" Idler diameter : 159 mm" Carrying idler spacing : 3000 mm and 4000 mm" Return idler spacing : 6000 mm, 7000 mm, and 8000 mm" Other idler properties : All idlers conventional with fabricated bracket

no self aligning idlers usedcarrying idlers are with 3-roll 35° trough anglereturn idlers are with 2-roll 10° trough angle

" Conveyor belt : 800 ST2500 with 6 mm/6 mm cover grade DINX25 kg/m belt weightbelt rip detector provided at loading zonepre and post scrapper with elastomount installedbelt turnover arrangement installed in head-end andtail-end of conveyor

" Drive : One tail-end drive motor of 630 KW, 1500 rpmtwo head-end drive motor of 630 KW, 1500 rpm

" Gear box : Helical" Power supply : Separate supply at head-end and tail-end from diesel

generator" Couplings : High speed coupling, reslient type

Slow speed coupling, geared type" Brakes : No brake provided for any drive" Take-up : Horizontal gravity type

16.5 t + 9.0 t take-up weight34 m take-up traveltake-up protection through capstan arrangementmotorised winch used for winding up of take-up weightStandard used in design: ISO5048, DIN22101

" Site conditions : Ambient temperature: max. 37 °C, min 8 °Crainfall: maximum in one day 986 mm, average 65 mmper day wind speed: maximum 195 km/h

48

C OF LIME STONE/SHALE CONV.

CLADDING(TYP.)

FLAP GATE

PLAT FORM

WEIGH HOPPERCAPACITY - 50 M (WATER FILLED)

3

LOAD CELL (TYP.)

APRONFEEDER

SCREWTALE-UP

STAIRBLOCK

STAIRBLOCK

DESYSTEM

BEAM FORHOIST

HOOD

SACRIFICAL BELT CONV.

TT-2

BELT REELMOUNTINGAREA

BELT REELVULVANISINGAREA

DESYSTEM

BEAM FORHOIST

VEHICLEPARKING

ZONE

LBC 10

STAIRBLOCK

STAIRBLOCK

BELT TURN OVERARRANGEMENT

Logistics

The LBC had all the complexities of aninternational project. Spanning overtwo countries with different statutesand labour laws, import regulationsposed one o f the mos t d i f f i cu l tchallenges of logistics for L&T.

The bigger challenge was to bring thehuge quantum of materials, from allparts of the world to the project site,especially in the Indian portion, thenearest airport being 200 km away andthe nearest port being Kolkatta. Therehave been limitations in the weights andthe dimensions of the consignments aswell.

With the support of LSC, the L&TProject team has been successful innegotiating all administrative hurdles.

The problem of getting the materials atthe pro j ec t s i t e was so l ved w i thinnovat ive modes of t ransport bybarges and by op t imiz ing theconsignment size and weight.

The Belt Laying

The laying of the 34 kmconveyor belt,manufactured by M/s.Phoenix, Germany, 100splice joints ensuringgood quality werecompleted in recordtime of 80 days. The beltwas dispatched in rollscontaining belt lengthof 500 m to theBangladesh site and300 m to theMeghalaya siteconsidering thelimitations oftransportation. Beltlaying was carried outfrom two stations oneach site. Finally, thebelt was splice jointed atthe international borderto make it endless.

The SuccessStory

The long belt conveyorwas successfully run

without any difficulty for rated/designcapacity.

The odds, which are generally associatedwith projects of this nature, such as theLBC, were all present in their fullestcapacities. Added to this was the stringentdelivery schedule of the project.

L&T has rose to the occasion and executedone of the toughest projects in the Indianconstruction history.

The construction of the long belt conveyorsystem for Lafarge Surma Cement Limited,through troughed belt long conveyor, hasestablished the fact that conveying of rawmaterials for longer distance, fulfillingstringent requirement of environmental andpollution control, is a viable solution toreduce transportation cost.

L&T, by virtue of its experience in the bulkmaterial handling field over the past twodecades in general and after the LBCexperience in particular, backed up by itsdesign engineering and constructioncapabilities, deem themselves perfectlypositioned to take up the most difficultprojects, in any part of the world.

An aerial view of the LBC

A schematic representation of the load cell of the LBC

49

Eastern Contracting is one of the oldestContracting Companies in the United ArabEmirates.

Victory Heights is a joint venture betweentwo renowned partners, Arcapita and DubaiSports City. It is proposed to develop theResidential Villa Complex in Dubai SportsCity along with an 18 hole championshipGolf Course, the first of it’s kind in theMiddle East and designed by Ernie Els,which would serve as an added attraction.

The Project is to be completed in 660 daysfrom the date of commencement andinvolves construction of 295 grandeur Villasof Ground + 1 configuration. The Villasconforming to 11 different types ofMediterranean, Spanish and European styleof architecture, will be constructed inCarmen, Novelia, Calida and MorellaVillages of Victory Heights Golf andResidential Development.

The project will be executed by L&T in JointVenture with Eastern Contracting LLC.

Rs. 1,500 Crore Township inChennai

Larsen & Toubro Urban Infrastructure Ltd(L&T UIL), a division of Larsen & ToubroLtd’s subsidiary L&T IDP, has formed threespecial purpose vehicles (SPVs) to developan integrated township with Chennai-basedrealty firm Arun Excello. The township,christened Estancia, will be located atVallancheri on GST Road in South Chennai,and is expected to be completed in threephases on a project outlay of Rs. 1,500crore within a four-year time frame. Thethree SPVs will deliver turnkey construction,civil engineering and infrastructuredevelopment activity on the township’sresidential space, IT/ITeS facilities andretail zone respectively.

The first SPV project launched in Apil 14,2007, will develop the residential zonecomprising 2,000 apartments on around 3million square feet spread over 37 acres ofland, at a cost of Rs. 700 crore and expectedto be completed by March 2009. ArunExcello would hold a majority 67 per centequity stake, while L&T UIL would bringup the remaining 33 per cent. Arun Excellohas over 19 projects involving about 1,000flats on a developed area of 1 million sftunder its belt in Chennai.

Vizag Steel Plant expansion

L&T and its international consortiumpartners of Paul Wurth Italia andIndia have bagged an EPC (Engineer-Procure-Construct) package, valued overRs. 1400 crores, for the expansion of VizagSteel Plant of Rashtriya Ispat NigamLimited (RINL). This is the largest single-value EPC order ever placed by the clientand this was bagged against stiffinternational competition from Chinese,Korean and Russian firms.

In line with the National Steel Policyenvisaging production of 110 million tonnesper annum (MTPA) of steel in the countryby the year 2019-20, RINL has embarkedupon a capacity expansion at Vizag. It hadinvited bids for installation of a new thirdblast furnace to double its capacity to 6.5MTPA of hot metal from the present levelof 3.2 MTPA. L&T will construct this blast furnace-astate-of-the-art 3800 cu.m. unit with acapacity of 2.5 million tonnes of hot metalper year. This is the second biggest blastfurnace in India. L&T’s ConstructionDivision, ECC, will execute this contract inconsortium with Paul Wurth Italia within astringent time-frame of 30 months.

L&T’s scope of work includes completedetailed engineering apart from certainareas of basic engineering based on theprocess-engineering being supplied by PaulWurth. The complete indigenousmanufacturing and supply of equipment liesin the scope of L&T. Apart from this,complete site services including the civil andstructural works and erection of equipmentwill be undertaken by L&T, with specializedsupervision being provided by Paul Wurth.L&T‘s contract-value in this project isaround Rs. 810 crores.

33 kV Underground Cablingworks in UAE

L&T has secured an order valued at Rs.215 crore (USD 51.7 million and AED189. 93 million) from the Abu Dhabi Water& Electricity Authority for the supply andinstallation of 33 kV power cables and fibreoptic cables for inter connections betweenvarious substations in the eastern regionof Abu Dhabi Area.

According to the terms of the contract,L&T will supply and install 33 kV cablesand fibre optic cables as per thespecification of international consultant,Lahmeyer International Gmbh.

The scope of the underground cablingcontract includes design, manufacture,supply, installation as well as testing andcommissioning of 33 kV cables and fibreoptic cables including associated civil works,covering 11 substations in the easternregion of Abu Dhabi for the reinforcementof power distribution network to meet theincrease in power demand from existing andnew customers. The contract will beexecuted within 18 months.

Building Project in Dubai

L&T has bagged a Rs. 200 crore orderfrom Nakheel, UAE, to build a prestigiousresidential project in Dubai. The project willbe executed by ECC, L&T’s ConstructionDivision, and marks the growing presenceof the Company in the thriving constructionmarket of the Middle East.

The project involves construction of luxuryvillas and associated infrastructurefacilities including a club house andchildren’s play area at the upmarketJumeirah Islands. The entire constructionof the project is scheduled to be completedin 548 days from the date ofcommencement and involves theconstruction of 31 luxury villas.

The scope of the project also includesbuilding the associated infrastructurefacilities consisting of 1000m of roads andservices, a pedestrian overpass, club housewith recreational facilities, children’s playarea and complete landscaping.

Nakheel, a leading project developer inUAE, is involved in several major propertydevelopment projects with investments tothe tune of US$12 billion in Dubai. Nakheelhas to its credit a variety of landmarkstructures in Dubai.

Rs. 610 Crore Order in Dubai

L&T & Eastern Contracting LLC (Eastern)Joint Venture has bagged an order fromVictory Heights Golf Residential andDevelopment LLC, to build a prestigiousresidential property in Dubai Sports City.

New Orders

50

In the second SPV, Rs. 600 Crore has beenparked to develop an IT park over 27 acreswith 2.7 million square feet of office space.The third SPV will develop a retail mall,hotel and serviced apartments over 1-million sft at a cost of Rs. 200 crore on 11acres of land. L&T would hold a majority51 per cent stake in both SPVs, while ArunExcello will hold the remaining 49 per cent.It will be at a debt-to-equity ratio in therange of 2.5:1 to 3:1 depending on the debtrequirements of each SPV.

412 Crore orders

L&T has bagged two orders valued at Rs.412 crores.

A Rs.332 crore Engineer-Procure-Construct (EPC) lift irrigation contract wasbagged by L&T and its JV partner KirloskarBrothers Limited from the Irrigation &Command Area Development Dept (ICAD),Government of Andhra Pradesh.

In another development L&T has baggedan order valued over Rs. 80 crore fromRashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL).

The lift irrigation contract from ICADinvolves investigation, design, supply anderection of necessary lift systems with all

electrical and mechanical components, surgeprotection systems, control valves, etc., forlifting 7.80 TMC water from Goddamvaripallivillage to Goddumarri Anicut in the Cuddappahdistrict of Andhra Pradesh includingoperation and maintenance. L&T’s contractvalue is Rs.274 crores.

Scope of work for Kirloskar Brothers involvesdesign, manufacture, supply, erection, testingand commissioning of pumps, motors, allelectromechanical, instrumentation works andHVAC system.

The lift irrigation project is to be completed in24 months and will not only benefit farmerswho will get a dependable source of water forirrigation but also reduce their dependenceon ground water exploitation.

The order from RINL is for executing civilworks for Wire Rod Mill No. 2 ofVisakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP). Theexpansion project involves installation of anew third blast furnace - a state-of-the-art3800 CuM unit with a capacity of 2.5million tonnes of hot metal per year.

Rs. 114 Crore order from SAIL

The Engineering Construction and Con-tracts Division of Larsen & Toubro Limited

(L&T) has secured Rs. 114.43 crore orderfrom Steel Authority of India Limited(SAIL) for the turnkey construction of 220/132 kV Gas Insulated Substation and as-sociated Transmission Network for SAIL’sBhilai Steel Plant in Chattisgarh.

When completed this project will evacuatepower from 500 MW Captive Power Plantbeing set up by NTPC-SAIL Power Com-pany Ltd. and feed to Bhilai Steel Plant.

The work involves supply, erection and com-missioning of Main Step Down Substation(MSDS-V).

MECON is the consultant for the projectand the duration of the contract will be 16months from June 2007.

The scope of work includes construction of220 kV (10 bays)/ 132 kV (16 Bays) GasInsulated Substation, state-of-the-art four-storied control room, installation of Sub-station Automation System (SAS), HVAC/fire fighting system, 160 MVA PowerTransformers, AC / DC Auxiliary PowerSystem, internal and external lighting, in-cluding EHV/HV cabling and associated220/132kV Transmission Lines.

L&T has reached another milestone in itsefforts to become a technology leader in itsvarious operations. The Company hasdeveloped a software for calculating thelength of conductors used in powertransmission lines and has obtained a patent(copyright) for it from the Government ofIndia. This is the third copyright registeredby L&T in automation and technologydevelopment for design & construction oftransmission lines.

In transmission lines, the conductor strungbetween two towers takes the shape of acomplex curve known as catenary curve.As catenary equation is complex and thenumber of variables involved is too high tocalculate the length, current industrypractice has been to assume a fixedpercentage (1% to 2%) over horizontallength to calculate the length requirementand consumption. But calculating the ‘inactual’ conductor length (i.e. catenary) is acomplex function of different variables likespan, tension, elevation difference,temperature, tower geometry andtemperature conditions during stringing atsite. In any transmission line project,

conductor/earth wire constitutes 25% to30% of the total material cost. An error ofeven 0.5% to 1% in estimation of conductorlength may lead to cost overrun on accountof wastage, shortage and delay duringconstruction activity.

In order to facilitate accurate calculationof conductor length, EDRC–TLRE BU hasdeveloped a state-of-the-art softwareOPTACABLE. OPTACABLE© has beenregistered by the Copyright Office,Government of India.

This is the only software of its kind andutility available for transmission lineindustry all over the world.

Dr. K. Natarajan (Head – TransmissionLines, Engineering Design & ResearchCentre, L&T) and his team of engineers atthe Company’s Construction Division inChennai developed the software. Accordingto Dr. Natarajan, OPTCABLE offers thefollowing advantages:

" Fast and accurate solver for catenarycurve with elevation difference

" Import option for automatic entry oftower schedule

" In-built logic for section length andruling span calculation

" Single entry calculation of conductorlength at different temperatures

" Option for customization of reports" Unequal elevation sag & tension value

display

Currently L&T is employing OPTACABLEfor transmission line projects of severalstate utilities. In addition, the software isunder implementation for Karnataka PowerTransmission Corporation Limited in a pilotproject and will be used in projects for otherpower transmission utilities as well.

The other two softwares copyrightedearlier by L&T for use in transmission linesare: DIGISHOP, which facilitates convertingshop drawings issued by clients into aformat compatible with the Company’sstandard format; and DETAILAUTOMATE, which is used in generatinggeneral arrangement (GA) drawings, shopdrawings and bill of materials from thedesign line diagram.

L&T Copyrights Transmission Line Software OPTACABLE

51

Northern Railway is currently executing theambitious Jammu–Baramulla rail line toconnect Jammu with Kashmir. Under Phase-II of the project ECC is constructing a bridgeacross Jhajjar Khad on the Udhampur-Katrasection of the Jammu-Baramulla stretch. This308m long (2 x 154m) open web steel bridgeis the highest railway bridge in India,supported on 88.58 m high pier. Having aheight of 21m on top of the pier, this is alsothe largest bridge with simple supported spanweighing a total of 2700 tons.

As the site is located in a remote area withlimited access and considering the difficultterrain, a “customised push launchingtechnique” was adopted for constructing thesuper structure. Although this technique isused extensively for concrete/steel box girderbridges, it was employed for the first time inJhajjar Khad bridge for truss type girdersand entailed intricate enabling works. A newskid beam system was designed to supportthe truss only on its diagonal nodes duringlaunching as per design requirements. Theskid beams were provided with stainless steelbottom and were moved over PTFE pads intrack beams fixed on temporary foundations.

The entire bridge was fabricated at site and

Highest Railway Bridge Completed in Jammu & Kashmir

fully assembled in the abutment area togetherwith nosing and stitch girders. After assembly,the entire truss was tested on shore bysimulating the maximum cantilever conditionto compare the theoretical and actualdeflections and to check the integrity of criticaljoints. After the shore test, the superstructurewas launched into final position using twomulti-strand jacks (2 x 400t capacity) fromlaunching side abutment. The maximum

cantilever length during launching was 154m.

The launching operation started on December26, 2006 and the nosing girder touched theother side of abutment on January 28, 2007,marking the successful completion oflaunching of the bridge. The balance worksare expected to be completed by end February2007.

L&T successfully commissioned the 200 kmlong 400 kV double circuit transmission linetower construction between Maithon andRanchi, ahead of schedule for Power GridCorporation of India Limited (PGCIL). Thisis considered as one of the longest TL projectsexecuted by ECC. As a part of this project,ECC also undertook and completed twosubstations through separate orders fromPGCIL:! 400 kV Substation at Maithon! 400 kV Substation at Ranchi

The project evacuates power from Powergrid’sMaithon substation in West Bengal andtransmits it through twin ACSR MOOSEconductor to the 400 kV substation at Ranchiin Jharkhand, passing four times betweenthese two states having different wind zones(wind zone II and IV). This also necessitateddifferent tower structures to meet the designparameters.

Commencing the project in March 2005, theentire works had to be executed in a period of26 months. However, L&T completed theproject 7 days ahead of schedule in spite ofincreased scope of work and commissioned

400kV Maithon-Ranchi Transmission line Commissioned

the same on April 30, 2007 to the entiresatisfaction of PGCIL. ECC’s TransmissionLine Tower works at Pithampur fabricatedand supplied 10,840 tons of tower membersand met the requirements of the projectthrough two stores, strategically located inWest Bengal and Jharkhand.

In all, the project involved erection of 552towers mostly across the disturbed andsensitive areas across the borders of WestBengal and Jharkhand. In addition, the linepasses through dense forest for a stretch of 5km and encountered15 railway crossings, 14minor river crossings, 12 EHV lines and 110HT/LT lines etc.

The highest railway bridge (88.58 m high) in India across Jhajjar Khad on theUdhampur-Katra section

400 kV Maithon-Ranchi transmission line

Projects

Commissioned

52

The 400/220kV sub-station constructed byECC at Ranchi (capital of Jharkhand) forPower Grid Corporation of India Limited(PGCIL) was commissioned on 27th April2007 and the power distributioncommenced from May 9, 2007.

Valued at Rs.70 crore, this turnkey contractwas executed by EI&C BU involvingconstruction of 15 bays of 400 kV and9 bays of 220 kV, including installation oftwo 315 MVA Power Transformers and

400/220 kV Sub-station for PGCIL at Ranchi

three 80 MVAR Reactors. The sub-stationevacuates power from NTPC’s KahalgaonThermal Power Plant and connects theEastern & Western grid systems whileproviding stable power to the State ofJharkhand.

Commencing the work in October 2006,ECC completed the entire project includingcommissioning in a record time of 6 monthsand 17 days. This is certainly an excellentachievement, considering that in India it

takes normally over 15 months to build sub-stations of this capacity.

Detailed planning, meticulous projectmonitoring, efficient site management, andworking in tandem with the customer as ateam have all made this possible. Thisglorious feat has set a new benchmark forPGCIL projects and earned accolades fromthe client reflects this.

400/220 kV Sub-station for PGCIL at Ranchi

L&T Delegation calls on Tamil Nadu CM

Mr. A. M. Naik, Chairman & ManagingDirector, L&T, called on the Hon’bleChief Minister of Tamil Nadu,Dr. M. Karunanidhi on June 8, 2007,along with Mr. K. V. Rangaswami,President (Construction) andMr. K. Venkatesh, EVP & Head -Developmental Projects. AMNhanded over a brochure on L&T’scontribution to Tamil Nadu andregistered the Company’s keeninterest to involve itself in theall-around development of the State

ToM/s. L&TECC Divn, (Engineering Construction & Contracts)Mount Poonamallee RoadManapakkam, PO Box No. 979Chennai - 600089

Kind Attn.: Sri. O. N. Lakshminarasimhalu, Sector Op. Head

Sub: 400/220 kV Ranchi S/S and 220 kV LILO of Patratu- Chandil Line An example of excellence

Dear Sir,

10 We all know “Rome was not built in a day” So is the 400/220 kV Ranchi S/S which has not built in a day; neither it has been built in a week nor built in a month but the green field 400/220 kV S/S could be built barely in 6 (six) months, energized at 400 kV with ICT-1 in 6 ½ (six and half) months made operational in 2 (two) weeks thereafter and now supplying power to Jharkhand State from POWERGRID ER grid. This has been a record achievement by any standard and speaks about performance excellence in project management, journey of which started in October’06, immediately on possession of land and we are in May '07 only.

20 All these have been made possible because of synergy created through excellent collaboration between POWERGRID and L&T and given the shape by their dedicated teams at project level through effective planning, scheduling, monitoring, control and coordination at micro level and supported full heartedly by the respective management at various levels.

30 Should we congratulate each other and appreciate the respective roles played at various levels which has brought such an excellent result?

40 While finally appreciating the efforts of M/s L&T in bringing about such a glorious tinge to this successful dream project, we would expect you to repeat such feats in future project with further excellence and we are committed to extend our full support to you efforts.

Thanking you

Your faithfully,For & on behalf of POWERGRID

53

The 6.1km long six lane modern multi-spanextra dosed bridge built over river Hooghlyat Dakshineshwar in Kolkata was openedto traffic on Wednesday July 4, 2007. Builtby Second Vivekananda Bridge TollwayCompany (SVBTC), this Rs.650 croreproject serves as a “vital link in the NationalHighway system of the country” connectingKolkata with other states in the North Eastand Bhutan through NH 34 and 35.

Project Highlights

! Name of the client :National Highways Authority of India,New Delhi

! Concessionnaire :Second Vivekananda BridgeTollway Company, New Delhi

! EPC Contractor :Larsen & Toubro Limited – ECCDivision

! Design/Supervision Consultant :Consulting Engineering Services(India) Pvt. Ltd. – Representing CESInternational, USA & ParsonsBrinckerhoff – representing PBIDC,USA

Second Vivekananda Bridge Opened to Traffic

! Independent Consultant :Sclaich, Bergermann Und Partners,Stuttgart- Germany

! Total length :6.1 km (main bridge includingapproaches)

! Type of construction :Precast segmental sections with cablestayed extra dosed spans of 110m

! Length of the main bridge :880m long (7x110m plus 2x55mspan)

Length of the viaduct andapproach

! Kolkata side : 1.56 km! Howrah side : 3.67 km

Grand view of the Second Vivekananda bridge across river Hooghly

Viaducts

Night view of the bridge

54

The Technology Centre-II of L&T InfotechPark situated in the outstanding campus ofECC headquarters, Chennai received theprestigious Indian Building Congresstrophy for “Excellence in BuiltEnvironment”.

The Masterpiece – TC II

Technology Centre-II, has been built withwhich an innovative and exclusive structuralsystem implemented for the first time inworld.

It comprises post-tensioned expandedpolystyrene embedded flat slabs for mainoffice areas, supported by central reinforcedconcrete core and peripheral reinforcedconcrete shear walls/columns resting on pilefoundation.

Technology Centre-II receives IBC Award

Each post tensioned flat slab floor plate of 60 m x 45 m size is600 mm thick and is embedded with expanded polystyrene to reducethe self-weight by 30%. Self compacting concrete has been usedon massive scale for first time for concreting considering the thin75 mm top and bottom slabs. As a result of its unique structuralsystem, the building has the flexibility to undergo any modificationsin its functional requirements as and when need arises even after50 years.

The trophy was received by Mr. S. Kanappan from Mr. JaipalReddy, Information & Broadcasting Minister during the “13th

Annual Convention of Indian Building Congress” held at VigyanBhavan at New Delhi on 17th of May 2007. Mr. S. D. Saha, ChiefEngineering Manager (Civil) was also present at the awardsfunction.

Technology Centre-II

Mr. S. Kanappan, Head-EDRC (B&F) receiving the trophy fromMr. Jaipal Reddy, Information & Broadcasting Minister

Awards

" PrashansaPatra : Kaiga 3 & 4

CWPH and IDCTand Asahi GlassPlant -Roorkee

This not only reflects ECC’s strongcommitment and excellent safety practicesin all its operations, but also its safetyculture and leadership support from its topmanagement.

Incidentally, the Gold award is also baggedby L&T – E&C Division for PTA project atPanipat.

National Safety Council of India (NSCI)has declared five prestigious ConstructionSafety awards on L&T- ECC Division. Theaward winning categories and projects arelisted below. ECC has been receiving theseawards for the second consecutive year.

" Silver SafetyAward : SALPG Cavern,

Vizag" Bronze Safety

Award : Vedanta Refinery,Lanjigarh andIITM Hostel,Chennai

In view of the crucial role played by theclient in implementing appropriate safetysystems, procedures and measures in theirprojects, NSCI has also decided to presentthese awards to the respective clientorganisations.

The criteria for selection and evaluation notonly focuses on the safety performanceachieved but also on HSE managementsystems and proactive measures taken. Theapplication for the awards were evaluatedby a board of governors headed by Mr.Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, NSCI.

ECC bags Five Construction Safety Awards from NSCI

55

ECC’s Vedanta Alumina Refinery Project-Lanjigarh site has been chosen for RoSPASilver Award 2007.

Since its inception in July 2004, the sitehas clocked more than 11 Million safe man-hours.

The RoSPA awards are not just aboutreducing the number of accidents and casesof ill-health at work; they help to ensurethat organizations have good health andsafety management systems inplace.

RoSPA Awards

Mr. P. K. Bandyopadhyay, Project Manager receiving the award from Mr. TomMullarkey, RoSPA Chief Executive (AM). To his left are Mr. R. N. Tripathy, RegionalHSE Manager-KKRO, and Mr. Indranil Chakraborty, Manager-HSE, Lanjigarh

In recognition of its continuous efforts to achieve excellence in the field of Occupational Health and Safety,L&T has won two awards from the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), UK, for the year 2007.

L&T (Oman) LLC has won the RoSPA Goldaward for the year 2007 for F-16Thumrait Air Base Project. The project hasachieved 4.82 Million man-hours fromMarch, 2005 to January, 2007.

F-16 Facilities at Thumrait air basedeveloped by Royal Air Force, Oman housesoperation, maintenance and trainingfacilities for twelve numbers of new F-16fighter planes. The project is an extensionof existing airbase, located 80 Km fromSalalah, Oman.

Ministry of Defense Engineer Services isthe Client, Turner International is theProject Management consultant and Burns& MacDonnell are the Engineeringconsultants for this project.

Gold for F-16 Airbase Project, Oman

Mr. M.V.Satish, Chief Executive, LTO, receiving the award from Mr. Tom Mullarkey,RoSPA Chief Executive (AM). Mr. M. P. Sharma,Project Manger, F-16 Airbase, isseen on the extreme right

Silver for Vedanta Aluminia RefineryProject, Lanjigarh

Purva Panorama Housing Project of ECCat Bangalore has won the prestigious“International Safety Award” from theBritish Safety Council, one of the world’sleading professional bodies in OccupationalHealth, Safety & Environment (OHSE).ECC bags this coveted award for the secondconsecutive year.

This accolade recognises the commitmentto Occupational Safety demonstrated by theCompany’s top management as well as theoperating team at site.

The award is presented to companies who

British Safety Council Award for Purva Panorama Project

achieve accident incidence rates which arelower than the industry average in theirsector. Achieving zero fatality is one of thecriteria for evaluation. Other key areas ofevaluation include significant advances inhealth & safety, results of external audits,health/safety training imparted, and detailsof significant continual improvementsachieved during the award period.

The adjudicating panel, after gruellingtests, chose Purva Panorama Project Sitefor the International Safety Award in linewith the award scheme’s objective ofrecognising and rewarding excellence in

health & safety performance.

ECC’s Purva Panorama Team was led byProject Manager Mr. B. S. Raju and HSEOfficer Mr. S. Mohan, ably guided by Mr.Kumar Shailendra, Regional HSE Manager,BLRO. The site achieved 9 million SafeManhours since inception.

The project involved construction ofbasement + ground floor + 8 floors and13 towers, totally accounting for 1 millionsq.ft. The time of completion was 18months.

56

Information and Decision Support System forTransmission Line Project Execution

Dr. K.Natarajan, Head (EDRC-TLRE BU)made a Technical Presentation on“Development of GIS based Informationand Decision Support System (GIS-IDSS)for Transmission Line Project Execution”at GRIDTECH, International Exhibitioncum conference on new technologies inTransmission & Distribution, New Delhi,during Febraury 5-6, 2007.

The paper illustrated the development ofGeographic Information System (GIS )based Information and Decision SupportSystem (IDSS) to assist design andconstruction engineers in execution of newtransmission line project efficiently.

In this study the powerful analytical andvisualization capabilities of a Geographic

Information System is combinedwith tools used by differentdisciplines and integrated to acommon geo-data base.

The Paper was Co-authored byMr. C.Suresh Babu Reddy andMr.Abdul Hanif Khan, EDRC-TLRE.

The presentation was wellappreciated in the conference,which was attended by about 600delegates from all over the world.

Some of the major International companiesattended the conference include IBM, USA,Areva, France, GE Energy Germany,Siemens, Germany, ABB, Sweden etc. The

Paper

Presentation

paper focused on importance & need ofapplication of this advanced technology forTL project.

Two technical papers on“Design of Steel TensionMembers - A Review ofthe International Codes”and “The Basis of NetSection StrengthProvision for boltedTension Members inDraft IS: 800” written

by Mr. S. Sundaramahalingam, SeniorDesign Engineer, EDRC - HQ, T&I, werepublished in the July 2006 and January2007 issue of INSTAG’s Steel inConstruction Journal.

“Design of Steel Tension Members - AReview of the International Codes”,compares the provisions for design of

Technical Publications

tension member by different internationalcodes, namely IS:800(2005),BS:5950(2000), Eurocode3(1993),AS4100(1998), AISC(2005) andCAN(1994) and evaluates the performanceof the codes provisions by the experimentresults of Nelson’s (1953), Muller andWagner’s (1985), Kaluk and Wu (1997)and Mohan Gupta (2005).

From the comparison, it could be seen thatEuro Code3, AISC, BS5950, CAN 94 andIS 800 (2005) underestimate the resultsby a mean value of 36%, 18%, 16% and12% respectively, while Australian codeover estimates the results by a mean valueof 0.13% (without considereing the partialsafety factor). “The Basis of net section

strength provision for bolted TensionMembers in Draft IS:800.”

It is well known that IS:800 which is inallowable stress format is being revised tolimit state format in the draft IS:800. Forthe net section strength calculation oftension members, a new empirical equationhas been given in the draft IS:800. Sincesuch an equation is not found in any othercode, many designers may be curious toknow the basis of this equation.

This presents the behaviour of tensionmembers and a review of how the empiricalequation in draft IS:800 for net sectionstrength calculation of tension members hasbeen arrived.

L&T’s position as one of the top companiesin the country is re-affirmed in the latestsurvey by Wall Street Journal Asia. In twocritical attributes – ‘Quality’ and‘Reputation’ – L&T leads the field, over ahost of other corporates. In the overallstanding, L&T ranks third – with the toptier being clustered with IT majors.Expectedly, L&T is the only engineering andconstruction company to feature in the top

L&T ranks high in Wall Street Journal Asia Survey

10. In the accompanying editorial, thepublication makes a special mention ofL&T’s contribution to building India’sinfrastructure.

The Wall Street Journal is one of the world’smost respected business newspapers. TheAsian edition keeps up the values andstandards of the US parent. Since 1976, ithas provided news and analysis of regional

and global business developments for pan-Asian audience.

This survey covered 3049 executives andprofessionals in 12 Asian countries. In eachof these countries around 170multinational companies and 40 localcompanies were selected for the survey.

Dr. K. Natarajan making the technical presentation

57

orders booked during the quarter was 20%of the segment’s total Order Inflow.

E&C segment revenue for the quarter endedJune 30, 2007 at Rs. 3492 crore registeredan increase of 33% when compared to thesame period of the previous year. The shareof export revenue represented 15 % of thesegment revenue.

The Segment Operating Margin recordedan improvement of about one percentagepoint attributable to smarter execution andproject management. The segment had ahealthy Order Book as on June 30, 2007at Rs. 39690 crore. The international OrderBook at Rs. 6318 crore represented 16%of the segment’s Order Book.

Electrical & ElectronicsSegment

Electrical & Electronics segment reporteda robust growth in its Order Inflow andSales, reflecting the Company’s strongposition in this sector. The segment revenueat Rs. 541 crore for the quarter ended June30, 2007 was higher by 28 % whencompared to the corresponding quarter ofthe previous year. Electrical StandardProducts & Systems, Control & Automationbusinesses continued on their growthtrajectory in the current quarter.

Machinery & IndustrialProducts Segment

Total revenue from the businesses under thissegment during the quarter ended June 30,2007 was Rs. 423 crore, posting a healthyincrease of 25% over the same period ofthe previous year. Increased activity in thedomestic industrial, infrastructure andconstruction sectors continues to benefit thebusinesses of this segment. Besidesincreased volumes, higher price-differentials and improved manufacturingefficiency contributed to better profitabilityin this business segment.

Outlook

The Company’s leadership position in theconstruction, projects & manufacturing-ledbusinesses has enabled it to reap full benefitsof the surging economy. The capacityexpansion programs of the Company areon stream and are expected to support itsgrowth ambitions in the medium term. Witha healthy Order Book, the Company isconfident to maintain the growthmomentum both in terms of Revenue andProfitability in the near to medium term.

Excellent Performance for the quarter ended June 30, 2007

Year endingMarch 31, 2007

L&T has produced very good resultsfor the year 2006-07. The Gross Sales& Service revenue from operations atRs. 17901 crore for the financial yearended March 31, 2007 registered ay-o-y growth of 20%. The share ofrevenue from international operationsconstituted 18% of the Gross Revenue.

Profit after Tax (PAT), includingexceptional gains, at Rs.1403 crorefor the year ended March 31, 2007increased by 39% over the previousyear. Similarly, PAT for the quarterended March 31, 2007 at Rs.701crore increased by 50 % over thecorresponding quarter of the previousyear.

Excluding exceptional gains, PAT forthe year ended March 31, 2007 grewby 60% while PAT for the quarterended March 31, 2007 registered agrowth of 53%.

Operating Profits (EBITDA) for theyear at Rs. 2209 crore smartly grewby 47% over the previous year.

Strong economic fundamentals,generally buoyant market, growingcapital goods sector, strategy ofcarefully choosing businessopportunities and smart execution ofjobs – all these factors togethercontributed to the robust growth inRevenue & Profitability during theyear.

The Board of Directors hasrecommended a final dividend of Rs. 2per equity share, which takes the totaldividend for the year, including theinterim dividend of Rs.11/- per sharealready paid, to Rs.13 per equityshare.

Group Financials

The Group registered a y-o-y increaseof 25% in the Total Income whichstood at Rs.21342 for the year endedMarch 31, 2007.

The Group PAT for the year 2006-07stood at Rs. 2240 crore posting animpressive growth of 70% over theprevious year. Excluding exceptionalgains, the Group PAT was higher by72% over the previous year.

Profit after Tax up by 140%

Order Inflow grew by 32%

Sales rise by 30%

L&T has produced an impressiveperformance registering a y-o-y growth of30% in Gross Sales & Service revenue fromoperations at Rs. 4574 crore for the quarterended June 30, 2007. The share of revenuefrom international operations constituted15% of the Gross Revenue.

Order Inflow during the quarter at Rs.9881 crore grew by 32% over the sameperiod of the previous year reflecting thegrowing confidence of the customers on theCompany’s superior project executioncapabilities and quality of its products.

Profit after Tax (PAT) at Rs. 377 crore forthe quarter ended June 30, 2007 surgedby 140% over the corresponding quarterof the previous year. Excluding gains fromexchange differences on foreign currencydenominated borrowings and deposits, PATfor the quarter ended June 30, 2007 grewby 57%.

Profit before Depreciation, Interest and Tax(PBDIT) for the quarter at Rs. 635 crore,registered 105% growth over thecorresponding quarter of the previous year.Backed by a constant endeavor to improveoperational efficiency, the Company hasbeen able to register an improvement in theOperating Margins by 1.1 percentage point(excluding above mentioned exchange gains)over the corresponding quarter of theprevious year.

Strong economic fundamentals, a fastgrowing capital goods sector, judiciousselection and faster execution of orders –all these factors together contributed to therobust growth in Revenue & Profitabilityduring the quarter.

Engineering & Construction(E&C) Segment

The E&C segment reported a healthygrowth in its Order Inflow during thequarter over the corresponding quarter ofthe previous year. Accelerated activity in theHydro-carbon, manufacturing &infrastructure sectors in the country helpedthe Segment bag quality orders. The OrderInflow at Rs. 8218 crore for the quarterended June 30, 2007 posted an increase of30% over the corresponding quarter of theprevious year. The share of international

58

L&T Celebrates Henning Holck-Larsen’s Birth Centenary

July 4, 2007 was a memorable day in thelives of all L&T-ites, past and present, whoassembled in large numbers at hundreds oflocations in India and abroad to pay theirtribute to one of the Company’s illustriousfounding fathers – Mr. Henning Holck-Larsen, endearingly known as HHL.Marking HHL’s hundredth birthanniversary and in the sixtieth year ofIndia’s independence, L&T launched year-long celebrations that include blood donationcamps, tree planting, memorial lectures andso on.

The celebrations began with an address byMr. A.M. Naik, Chairman & ManagingDirector, webcast from Mumbai, duringwhich he recalled the contribution of HHLand exhorted all L&T-ites to keep theCompany’s flag flying high. Following this,all L&T-ites took a solemn pledge,administered by Mr. Naik, to uphold thevalues and ideals nurtured by HHL andreaffirmed their commitment to nation-building and betterment of the society.

To mark the occasion, blood donation driveswere organised at various locations and theentire L&T family - employees, customers,vendors and other business associates, cameforward to take part with enthusiasm. Thecollected units of blood were handed overto blood blanks at different locations in thecountry.

In keeping with L&T’s commitment to thegreening of India, a programme of plantingone million trees during the course of theyear was launched by Mr. A. M. Naik.

The tree plantation drive held on theoccasion saw members of the company’sBoard of Directors and heads of variousestablishments all across the country plantsaplings in memory of Mr. Holck-Larsen.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Naik said,“Mr. Holck-Larsen was a visionary whodared to dream. A man with a convictionstrong enough to make a foreign countryhis home, and build an institution in India”.

“He recognized the need to build India’sinfrastructure, and answered the call ofnation building. In doing so, hedemonstrated how integrity andcommitment to values are the building blocksof a successful enterprise. To this day L&T

stands committed these core values”, Mr.Naik said.

Mr. Holck-Larsen was one of the truearchitects of modern India. From defenceto nuclear energy, from power projects toinfrastructure projects, L&T has alwaystaken a leading role and developedcapabilities not available in the countryearlier. Technology was developed in-house,challenges overcome, and L&T, under hisstewardship proved that no goal was toodifficult to achieve.

In the 70th year of L&T’s existence, L&Tremains committed to the same values. It isconstantly expanding its business horizons,giving new dimensions to its vision, andalways remains committed to play a greaterrole in the nation-building process.

The company today excels in businesses asdiverse as construction and informationtechnology, infrastructure financing andshipbuilding, complex engineering andelectronics.

L&T is aware that knowledge & technologyare the growth engines of the future. Itcontinuously develops these capabilitiesacross all its businesses, to achieve andsustain positions of leadership.

Overwhelming response byL&T-ites

ECC-ites across all offices andestablishments in India and abroadgathered in large numbers and showedgreat solidarity and spirit in taking part inthe blood donation and tree planting drives.

An overwhelming response lead to anunprecedented record of 13733 units ofblood and planting of 19722 saplingsacross all OD’s at L&T reflecting the truespirit and bonding of L&T-ites as one largefamily and their high regard for HHL.

Out of this, ECC’s tally includes 7217 unitsof blood and plantation of 8579 saplingsacross all locations.

While congratulating the team leadersacross every centre in ECC, Mr. K. V.Rangaswami thanked all those whovolunteered in blood donation and treeplantation, engaged in participating as ateam, to ensure that the camps and the eventswent off extremely well. He said, “throughthis we have demonstrated our deep passionand spirit for the organization and forHHL”.

Special Supplement on HHLCentenary Celebrations

We are proud to inform you that a 16page special photo feature on HHL’sCentenary Celebrations held across ECCoffices in India and abroad as well asproject sites is under preparation. Thiswill be released by middle of September2007.

This will feature Mr. A. M. Naik’s addressto the employees of L&T on 4th July2007 including photographs of blooddonation camps, tree plantation drivesacross ECC’s offices and sites. - Editor

ECC-ites listening to Mr. A. M. Naik’s address at ECC Convention Centre, HQChennai via web-cast. Inset: Mr. A. M. Naik addressing L&T-ites at Powai

59

HHL Centenary Celebrations at ECC Head Quarters, Chennai on July 4, 2007

Mr. K. V. Rangaswami, addressing the gathering at ECCConvention Centre, Chennai

Mr. V. Padmanaban, AOB-Maintenance, receiving thefirst certificate during the blood donation camp

A section of the audience at ECCConvention Centre, Chennai

Blood donation drive in full swing

Mr. T. V. Kini, former General Manager,Finance Accounts and Administration

Mr. C. R. Ramakrishnan, former JointManaging Director

A sparkling jewel in the crown of ECC campus, Henning Holck-Larsen Centre seen during the HHL Centenary Celebration

Garlanding by

60

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) inassociation with Construction Federationof India (CFI) organised the 5th

Construction Summit on May 16, 2007 atNew Delhi. This focussed on the status ofkey infrastructure projects in India,standradising the contract document,adopting single document across thecountry, dispute resolution, humanresources requirement etc.

Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Dy. Chairman,Planning Commission, Government of Indiawas the Chief Guest and addressed theinaugural session. Speaking on the occasion,Dr. Ahluwalia said “India had a slow rateof urbanisation due to slow growth rate ofeconomy.

He said that the reforming process hasbegun for broad-based urbanisation and inthe 11th plan, the Central government willfocus on urbanisation of smaller cities wherestate governments need certain level ofassistance. If economy grows as envisagedin the 11th plan the construction sector willgrow fast and modernization of theconstruction industry will definitely happen,said Dr. Ahluwalia.

5th Construction Summit, New Delhi - “Accelerating The Implementationof Infrastructure Development”

He also, said that some states have doneconsiderably well through Public-PrivatePartnership (PPP) and rural areas need thefocus of PPP for development ofinfrastructure and country’s growth.

Dr. D Subba Rao, Secretary (EconomicAffairs), Ministry of Finance, Govt. of Indiasaid that investments on construction ofroads have higher payoffs than investmentin any other sector. He said that contractmanagement is a must for contractors andentrepreneurs.

Mr. Ajit Gulabchand, Chairman, CIINational Committee on Construction andPresident, CFI said that Standard ContractDocument would reduce disputes andachieve better productivity. He said that itwas important to address issues whichcould delay or escalate cost and even a 10%saving can fund an entire social welfareprogramme of a state.

He also said that there is a huge talentshortage across the world and India hasnot addressed this issue so far and there isa 40% shortage of manpower withconstruction skills.

Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Government of India, flanked byMr. K. V. Rangaswami, Member of the Board and President (Construction), L&T, on the left and Mr. Ajit Gulabchand,Chairman, CII, National Committee on Construction and President, CFI, on the right

Mr. K V Rangaswami, Member of Boardand President (Construction), L&Tsuggested that government should look atthe simplification of tax laws in constructionindustry. He added that 15% excise duty onpre-cast structures should be reviewed bythe government.

Rohit Modi, Chief Executive (Roads &Bridges), L&T Infrastructure DevelopmentProjects Limited chaired a session on‘Expediting Dispute Resolution’, where MrFali S Nariman (President, Bar Associationof India), Mr Deepak Dasgupta (Ex-Chairman, NHAI) and Mr HS Kohli(Director, D S Constructions) were the otherspeakers.

The session essentially highlighted the needto put time-lines and finality for effectiveDispute Resolution.

It was pointed out that the approach shouldbe to resolving conflicts and disputes,without endangering the early completionof the project. It was emphasized that theinterests of the Project should beparamount.

Printed by Quadra Press, Unit II, #338, Nehru Nagar, Industrial Estate, Kottivakkam, Chennai-600096. Edited by Mr. V. S. Ramana forLarsen & Toubro Limited-ECC Division, from ECC-HQ., Manapakkam, Chennai-600 089. The views expressed in this magazines arenot necessarily those of the management of Larsen & Toubro Limited. The contents of this magazine should not be reproduced withoutthe written permission of the Editor. Nor for sale-only for circulation among the employees, business associates and customers of ECC,L&T’s Construction Division.