Building with Passion

In the next in a series of interviews with prominent engineers, Shubhangi Bidwe meets Jagannath S Jadhav, Chief Executive, BG Shirke Construction Technology Ltd.I had a penchant for creativity and passion to build since childhood, says Jagannath S Jadhav, Chief Executive, BG Shirke Construction Technology Ltd. He converted that penchant and passion into a remarkable career. Born in a small village called Wai in Satara, Shirke went on to earn his civil engineering degree from Shivaji University in Kolhapur and an MBA from Newport University in California. Engaged in the development of a host of landmarks for the BG Shirke Group for the past 36 years, his diverse portfolio comprises projects across India and the Middle East. He shares his journey with CW...Building the nationWhen I was in college, there was a lot of thrust on construction in India. The entire country was geared up for development. I had a strong desire to participate in this mission of building our nation, which propelled me to take up civil engineering. Additionally, BG Shirke, the great industrialist who also hails from Wai, was a great source of inspiration to me since my college days. He was the first person to tap my potential and give me an opportunity to exploit my talents.International experienceMy journey in the Middle East started the same year that Dubai got independence, 1971. As part of the Shirke Group, I got the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in the industry, like Halcrow, who has planned Dubai city; I too was involved in the project. Besides, I also worked with an American petrochemical firm in Saudi Arabia. These projects gave me global exposure. The infrastructure they used was of global standards, and their working styles were methodical. They prepared their shop drawings even before the commencement of the project; in-depth detailing and micro planning was done, and everything was provided to the contractors before commencement to avoid delays during execution.Projects plusMajor projects in the Middle East that our company was involved in included mass housing projects for Sheikh Rashid, the ruler of Dubai. Besides, we were also involved in building 10,000 villas for the Emirates. After this, we ventured into the Baghdad market, where we bagged a turnkey lumpsum contract to build a dairy. In Saudi Arabia, we executed a project for the Royal Commission involving the construction of villas for the petrochemical industry. These lavish villas had components sourced from all over the world. So, I had to buy carpets and British gypsum from the UK and cabinets from the US. To place orders and follow up with the supplier and finally to transport them was a huge challenge in itself.Challenging environmentThe work environment in the Middle East was very challenging, at the pace of development 10 times faster than India. Scheduling and executing a project in a short time was a race against time. We executed many projects at that pace.Coming homeWhen we came back to India in 1992, the country had just started developing. Many things needed to be done. The working style was not very professional. I tried to imbibe all my global experience while operating in India. We started several courses to improve the management skills of our staff and bring them at par with their global counterparts.Landmark projectsCurrently, I handle the Pune and Mumbai operations of the BG Shirke Group. In 2000, the group diversified into infrastructure and built many roads, bridges and flyovers. The responsibility for these projects have been handed over to me for the past 10 years. One memorable project was the Balewadi Sports Complex for the National and Commonwealth Games. My first project in the infrastructure sector, the Pune-Satara Highway, was also a landmark as it was the first project for our company to receive a bonus from the NHAI for early completion. Another milestone project was the JNPT port connectivity project, where JNPT was to be connected to Thane and Pune.Present perfectAt present, I am involved in the construction of a multilevel flyover project at Nashik Junction Flyover in Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation limits. The funds have been provided by the World Bank, which has also provided the safety and environment audits. In fact, it has also lauded the mobilisation of this project. As land acquisition is a big issue with us, we have divided this project into three parts: the first is the river portion; the second, the railway portion; and the third, the Mumbai-Pune highway portion. For the first time, we have bridge piers cast in concrete poured at a height of 20 m at a single stretch. Normally, concrete is poured at 4 m in a go. And, we implemented several measures to achieve this. For instance, we reduced the pouring rate, used international formwork and specialised concrete, so the surface is as smooth as marble and does not form cracks later.The infra advantageIn real estate, there are no time constraints. In fact, delaying a project actually benefits the builder as it increases his property rates. Unlike in the real estate, in the infrastructure sector, we have to cater to the whims and fancies of people. Similarly, money is not a constraint in real estate and a project delay is affordable - we just can't do that. On the other hand, the approach in the infrastructure sector is more methodical as we have to work in a limited time-frame. We also use the most modern methodologies and machineries that enable us to control project cost. This is not the case with real estate, which still relies on conventional ways of construction.Surviving the competitionNowadays, the government awards all its projects on a BOT basis. This is not practical as some projects do not have financial viability. And where there is viability, companies will pour in their own money. So, some projects may not be financially viable but are necessary for development. The government should give them equal importance. If you only build bridges and metros, what about small projects involving road connectivity and electrical transmission in our villages? Large companies do not take up these projects as the BOT model is not viable. It is important that the government not group all projects under the BOT option. Now, many international companies are entering the Indian market; we need to be on par to survive the competition. We will require professionalism and mechanisation to grow. So, it is essential that we upgrade ourselves and make maximum use of modern technologies and machinery.Together with NICMARI have been associated with NICMAR since its inception. We were entrusted with the job of building the organisation's first building, and the current building has also been built by us. Besides this, I advise students on civil engineering and am involved in preparing their syllabus.Tending my rootsThe village Wai has played an important role in my growth, and I have many plans for its development. Currently, I deliver lectures on civil engineering at various seminars held in the village. The government should give an impetus to infrastructure and build more roads and bridges and improve communication facilities. The village is a scenic hill station, and the government should try and make it a tourist destination.Still learningToday, I am 61 years old. I have a son and daughter who are both settled in the US. I visit them regularly; they too come to India whenever they can. I also attend short-term real-estate courses in the US in my spare time to update my knowledge on the industry.Challenging projectsProject: JNPT Port Road Connectivity ProjectClient: Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, NHAI, CIDCO  Technical consultant: Cemacon, Mumbai Background: This landmark project, undertaken by NHAI in 2004, aimed to upgrade and improve the connectivity of seven major ports in the country. A special purpose vehicle (SPV) was formed, comprising NHAI, JNPT and CIDCO, to execute the project.  Details: The Panvel Creek Bridge consists of two independent lanes of three carriage-waya/lanes each. The superstructure consists of twin-cell, pre-stressed concrete box girders with soffit width of 9 m, deck width of 14.25 m and a total depth of 2.5 m, whereas the contract stipulated the casting of two-end land spans on properly design staging/trusses supported on the ground. The water spans were to be cast on full-span length trusses supported on well caps. It was a challenging job to design, fabricate, erect, launch, position, remove and shift these trusses to the next location. Cemacon, who was engaged to formulate the total scheme, decided to adopt a three-truss assembly system; ie, one full span length truss below each of the three webs of the twin-cell box girder superstructure. The truss assembly consisted of three rushes each of 41.9 m length and 5.3 m depth and weighing 55 tonne. These trusses, when assembled together with bracings, with top cross girders to form a total system with soffit slab bottom shuttering in position, weighed almost 200 tonne. It was decided that we would fabricate individual trusses on a specially constructed platform/jetty in a flat position and make them vertical using a 100 tonne capacity lifting crane. Once all three trusses were erected, aligned and levelled, the work of bracings was taken up to complete the assembly, including top box girders and soffit slab bottom shuttering. This truss assembly erected on a platform/jetty/launching pad was then launched and taken to the designated span for final installation.Project: Nashik Phata Flyover ProjectClient: Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation Technical consultant: Cemacon, Mumbai Duration: Ongoing Background: This is a unique project undertaken by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and funded by the World Bank. It comprises a two-tier flyover with a second-level flyover overlapping the first-level flyover. The Rs 100 crore project also consists of one rail over bridge (ROB), one river bridge and a flyover. It is a lumpsum design and build project costing about Rs 100 crore, to be completed in 30 months. The scope of work envisages the design-cum-construction of the flyover and ROB at Nashik Phata on the old Mumbai-Pune NH-4, including a bridge across river Pawana, pedestrian subways, ramps, escalators, lifts and other related BRTS infrastructure.  Details: This project is being undertaken to ease the congestion of traffic on NH-4 (Old Mumbai-Pune road) around PCMC. The flyover has been provided with ascending and descending ramps for local commuters. All BRTS norms are also being considered on this project. The total length of the flyover, including bridge, ROB and ramps is 3 km. The total concreting involved is about 40,000 cu m and reinforcement requirement is 3,500 m, HTS Cable 375 m. Cast-in-situ piles of 1,200 mm dia with rotary rigs are 400 in number, and structural steel required for formwork is about 3,000 m. For the project, we are casting the piers of 20 m height in a single pour with good quality concrete.Project: NRI Sea Wood ProjectClient: CIDCO Duration: 1994-1997  Background: In 1994, when the era of globalisation had just begun and foreign investors were attracted to India, CIDCO took up this project to provide NRIs with a second home. Considering the land crunch in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai was selected as a venue for the project. It comprises 12 high-rise buildings (S+13) including services and infrastructure works with a built-up area of 700,000 sq ft.  Details: A key aspect of planning was the complete vertical and horizontal segregation of movement. Vertically, the residents have direct access to their apartments by passing the main lobbies and avoiding the need to cross driveways or other traffic routes. Horizontally, traffic segregation is achieved by the separation of residential and service routes. There is also a marked difference between the vehicular and pedestrian traffic routes. Two approaches to the complex have been provided with a view to avoid traffic congestion. Each individual building has its own parking facility under the stilt portion, avoiding the congregation of a large number of vehicles in one area. This also ensures that residents of one block do not park their cars in areas allocated to residents of the other.Major projects:NH-4 Pune-Satara Road Project JNPT Port Connectivity Project  Balewadi Sports Complex Four-laning of Dapodi-Nashik Junction in PCMC And many more......… Track Record: JS Jadhav1973: Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the Shivaji University, Kolhapur  1975: MBA in Finance from Newport University, USA Fellow Member of Indian Road Congress, Institution of Engineers, American Chamber of Commerce in India and FICCI Member of NICMAR  Awarded Wai Gaurva Puraskar in 1995Give us your feedback on this article at feedback@ASAPPmedia.com