Special STORY: KRCL TUNNEL PROJECT, SANGALDAN
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Insight Volume No.3 | Issue 4 | October 2013 SPECIAL FEATURE Mina Salman Interchange, Bahrain SPECIAL STORY: KRCL TUNNEL PROJECT, SANGALDAN 5 | PROFILE 6 | ENGINEERS DAY 7 | CSR Volume No.3 | Issue 4 | October 2013 FROM MD’s dESK There is always a hidden tension fraught with anticipation MAKING that can devour while working HEADLINES overseas. Will we be able to finish the job on time? What if there’s labour trouble? Will we be able to match the milestones? These questions can get to you if you let it linger ArcellorMittal has issued an too long in your mind. 1 appreciation certificate and let- Eventualities happen no ter for successfully achieving two matter how much we plan. million Safe Man hours, in Liberia, But the smartness on the on October 5, 2013. job decides how quickly and tactfully we finish a project Ministry of Works, Bahrain on time. We must, therefore, 2 has awarded an learn to think ahead, plan appreciation certificate for with an imagination, follow delivering the first milestone in am delighted to share with methodology but not become Mina Salman Interchange Project, you that we have bagged its slave and inspire everyone on July 9, 2013. two new projects. The jobs to take responsibility for are in two new countries. whatever they do. Once IOne is Bangladesh which is we become accountable to a completely new territory for ourselves, we will know how us, where, we will be working much we have done and how on the Dhaka-Chittagong far we can get. railway corridor with IRCON. We have worked with The other is Kuwait, where distinction in the Middle East - again the job location is new, Oman, Dubai, Yemen, Qatar, but the work familiar – marine Iraq, Jordon and Bahrain. We works for MAA Refinery, KNPC have worked and still working (Kuwait National Petroleum in tough conditions in Liberia. Corporation). We are also Casting my mind back to some hopeful of bagging two-three of these projects, I am quite more jobs overseas within next confident that Kuwait and three months. Bangladesh will be successful Every project, especially ventures too. overseas, brings with itself My heartiest congratulations to a bagful of challenges. Our those who have worked hard speciality, however, has always to bag the projects, and, best been to finish overseas projects wishes to those who have been on or before time. We have assigned to finish them. done it quite regularly in the past and will continue to do so in future. K Subrahmanian DESIGN: AMEY WAGLE Editorial Board: S Paramasivan, Sandeep Desai, Bhakti Prasad, Krishnakumari C, Bivabasu Kumar 2 Volume No.3 | Issue 4 | October 2013 SPECIAL STORY Pics: Bivabasu Kumar LOVE IN THE HILLS And it’s not just the tough terrain, for decades with husband, Gulam Sangaldan’s prosperity is but the erstwhile terrorist attacks that Mohammad, eldest son, Manzur based on a relationship built makes this project one of the most Ahmad, who is employed with on reciprocity and affection, challenging jobs. While AFCONS has Northern Railways, youngest son writes Bivabasu Kumar quietly advanced in its mission, it’s the Altaf Hussain, who is working with locals on the hills, who have started AFCONS, and two daughters appreciating the company’s positive (both married). Originally farmers, n arduous six-hour drive impact on their lives over a period of Mahataba was rendered jobless after from Jammu through eight years. the Northern Railways acquired their the tangle of rocky and “AFCONS is providing us with many land (against compensation). The winding mountain roads facilities. We now have plenty of water family of six used to stay in a small hut. Ato Sangaldan can sap one’s energy. to drink, medical facility, transport in Though they had enough to fend off But the breeze over the hills and any kind of crisis… what else can we poverty, lack of activity and an accident the intermittent rain can make one’s ask for?” says Mahtaba Begum, who made her husband mentally unstable. journey to AFCONS’ Konkan Railway owns a small tea shop near one of It’s then when Mahtaba decided to Corporation Limited (KRCL) project the tunnels (Tunnel 44) in Dalwa (two start the tea shop which, today, gets site seem like a hide-and-seek game. kilometers from Sangaldan). healthy business from workers in AFCONS is almost finishing Mahtaba has been living there the area. construction of five BG single-line railway tunnels on the Katra-Laole section of the Udhampur-Srinagar- Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project. The total length of the tunnels, including cut and cover, is approximately 8500m. The Sangaldan village (185 kilometers from Jammu), around which the tunnels are situated, is full of geological variations. The closeness between soft clay and foliated rock mass makes tunnelling in the area a daunting task. A NEW LEASE OF LIFE: Mahtaba Begum and her tea shop at Dalwa village 3 Volume No.3 | Issue 4 | October 2013 KIDS PLAYING cricket at the Sangaldan Higher Secondary School ground; (right) A village near this tunnel site was washed out due to landslide “Now, we have the tea shop and CHALLENGES & ACHIEVEMENTS my sons are working. By God’s grace and thanks to the company, we have 1. Transporting heavy machinery to site cover was less than 1D. sufficient to live happily. We don’t was a challenge as the old Dharamkund 5. Due to Muree Thrust, the entire rock have any regrets. We’ll pray that the Bridge could only withstand payloads of mass in the project area is deformed and company continues to work for locals 10 tonnes. thrust-affected. with such passion,” Mahtaba adds. 2. A magazine was constructed for stor- 6. The presence of nullahs and fresh Before AFCONS set base at age of explosives and a diesel pump was water springs led to water ingress inside Sangaldan, the nearest medical facility installed at site. tunnels sometimes to the tune of 1500li- was the district hospital at Ramban, 3. Cabinet approval was obtained for tres per minute. which is about 45 kilometres from quarry under forest land. It was the first 7. AFCONS logged a record progress of the region. Today, AFCONS provides time that the J&K government gave such 68m tunnelling in one month with perma- medical help to the locals from first aid permission considering the project’s nent steel supporting system and cycle to availing ambulance at any time of national importance. time of 18 hours in poor geology. the day. 4. In some areas tunnelling was safely 8. Thirty gantries were completed of 9m “Earlier, we had to walk for over two executed where the overburden/rock in one month which is a record. hours to reach Ramban. Now, in case of any emergency, we get ambulance or vehicular facility to reach the district buses from Ramban. The majority of the population hospital. The company restores road road connectivity has here are farmers, a connectivity after heavy rains or during made life much easier for small percentage have snowfall,” mentions Mahtaba. us,” says another local, government jobs and the Mohd Iqbal, who is medical Mohd Amin Bhat. kids study in Government assistant at the colony dispensary, Bhat started as a simple Middle Schools (upto is equally ebullient. “I was jobless villager. But, today, he has class eight), Primary after I completed my diploma in established himself as a Schools (upto class pharmacy. But after AFCONS came, reputed contractor in the By God’s grace five) or the Government they employed me and I have since region. “I started as partner and thanks to the Higher Secondary School then treated so many locals. It is more to another contractor at Sangaldan. Private satisfying that as a local I am being from Jammu for Tunnel company, we have academies have started able to help my own people,” he says. 40-41. This transition sufficient to live coming up recently There are around 300 to 400 families from a simple villager to happily. We don’t after the locals became in the Sangaldan region. Till six years an established contractor more aware about the back only two buses connected the from Sangaldan wouldn’t have any regrets.” importance of education. people of this region to Ramban. have been possible without “We now have free water, Mahtaba Begum, tea But after AFCONS came, the road AFCONS,” he says. shop owner at Dalwa ambulance on phone call, connectivity improved with wider According to Bhat, medicine etc. AFCONS roads, repair work and maintenance. there was no awareness is now like a second “We now have private vehicles on within the locals about home. Our interpersonal this route. Earlier, there were only two the outside world. The skills have improved after 4 Volume No.3 | Issue 4 | October 2013 interacting with the engineers and In 2009, the nearby Dharam the seniors who come from other village was devastated by heavy cities,” Bhat explains. landslide. Though the government While the kids focus on studies, gave villagers land it was too they are extremely passionate rugged for habitation. AFCONS about cricket. Mushkoor Wani levelled the land and helped locals (18-years-old) is a Virat Kohli fan to set up their new abodes. and wants to play in the Indian In various other ways, the team some day. company has touched upon “I like batting and we regularly the lives of the people. In the play cricket in the school ground. Tattapani area, the AFCONS team AFCONS is now like a second home. Our interpersonal skills have improved after interacting with the engineers and seniors who come from other cities.” Mohd Amin Bhat, Local contractor from Jammu We are inspired by Parvez Rasool,” helped with material for temple he says in between a cricket construction.