Ct jan 17

RNI NO.: MAHENG/2014/55864  VOL. 3  ISSUE: 9  MUMBAI  JANUARY 2017  PRICE: `100  PAGES:84

LOOKING AHEAD IN INFRA

If 2016 was a good year for infrastructure, expect more of the same in 2017.

CONSTRUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016 BY HOSTED BY BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA

CONTENTS INDIA TALK 8 News on Indian Projects

CONSTRUCTION TIMES AWARDS 32 The Best of The Best Were Honoured for Excellence in Construction.

COVER STORY 14 Looking Ahead in Infra

REAL ESTATE 66 On Solid Ground - Realty Sector in 2017

INTERVIEWS 42

Vinayak Deshpande, MD TATA Projects

44

Vinita Singhania, Vice Chairperson and MD, JK Lakshmi Cement

Shib BhowmikCountry Head & MD, Joy Global India

58

Sibasish Mohapatra, MD, MB Crusher

60

62

V G SakthiKumar, MD, Schwing Stetter

76

INSIGHT 72 Towards Sustainable Urban Transport

Launch of Equipment Times - a magazine that will provide the industry with a new dedicated aspects of the construction equipment industry

INTERNATIONAL TALK 80 News on International Projects

EVENTS CALENDAR 82 National

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FROM

THE DESK

Editor In Cheif Ramamurthy Mayavan Director Communication Kranti Shanbhag

Dear Readers, First things first. The Construction Times awards, 2016, was a splendid all-round effort and my heartfelt thanks to not only our team, but to all of you out there who made this happen. A special word of thanks goes out to the organizers of Bauma ConExpo 2016 who hosted the awards at their venue, bang in the middle of the construction equipment show and where all the industry had gathered.

Indeed, we were overwhelmed with the nominations we received and not only did our excellent jury members have their task cut out, but the participation was truly reflective of all that’s happening in the infra world in India right now. May your tribe increase.

I should also mention we took the opportunity on stage to launch a new offering - Equipment Times - a magazine that will provide the industry with a new voice and a platform for knowledge sharing, dedicated to all aspects of the construction equipment industry, be it new launches worldwide, evolving leasing models or even digital disruption. I am personally delighted and would especially like to thank our chief guest, Rao Narbir Singh, Honourable Minister for public works department, civil aviation and architecture, Government of Haryana, our guest of honour, Anand Kumar of NHIDCL and industry stalwarts, Vipin Sondhi (JCB India), Vikram Sharma (KOBELCO), DK Vyas (Srei Infrastructure), Anand Sundaresan (Schwing Stetter) and Dennis Slater (AEM) for launching Equipment Times and for their gracious presence.

Of course, in addition to the awards, this issue provides an in-depth look at the Bauma Conexpo exhibition held for the third time in India, no doubt in recognition of the ever-growing importance of this country and region as a market for construction equipment; and hence the need for even more detailed and decisive coverage of the trends shaping our industry.

Last but not least, our cover story this time provides a peep into what’s slated for the year ahead in infrastructure and we are enthused that the crystal ball gazing has thrown up some interesting themes.

As we embark on a new beginning, I wish you all the very best for a bright and prosperous 2017.

Happy New Year.

Thanks & Regards,

Ramamurthy Mayavan 6 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

Asst. Editor Kartiki Lawate Sr. Manager Sales & Marketing Sampat Dam Creative Head Rakesh Kawale For Subcription constructiontimes02@gmail.com Registered Office ARK Events & Media Pvt. Ltd. S-02, Haware Fantasia Business Park, Second Floor, Near Inorbit Mall, Sector 30-A, Vashi, Navi Mumbai - 400 703 Tel.: 022 650 67220/22/23/24 www.constructiontimes.co.in *Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act, 1867. All rights reserved.

While all efforts are made to ensure that the information published in correct, Construction Times holds no responsibility for any unlikely errors that might have occurred with regards with content and photographs. Plagiarism in any form is prohibited.

Printed & Publisher

by Mr. Ramamurthy T. Mayavan on behalf of M/s. ARK EVENTS & MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED at: S-02, Haware Fantasia Business Park, Second Floor, Near Inorbit Mall, Sector 30-A, Vashi, Navi Mumbai-400 703 Printed at NAS PRINTING PRESS & PACKAGING at.: 316, Floor - 3, Todi Industrial Estate. N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Jacob Circle, Mumbai - 400011.

Editor:- Ramamurthy T. Mayavan

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TALK

INDIA

ICRA: Cabinet Approval for Bill is Positive for Major Ports

MSRDC Invites RFQ for Expressway Project

During the first seven months of FY 2017, cargo throughput at major ports has registered a 4.6 per cent growth over the corresponding period of the previous year. The growth was supported by a doubling of iron ore cargo volumes (21 million tonne versus 10 million tonne) as well as growth in POL (9 per cent) and other cargo categories (8 per cent). However, volumes of other categories like coal and fertilisers were down by 4 per cent and 11 per cent respectively during the period. Coal volumes continue to remain subdued, as higher domestic production of coal and lower than projected growth in demand continue to reduce the existing demandsupply gap.

MSRDC has invited request for qualification (RFQ) documents from global construction majors for the Mumbai-Nagpur super communication expressway project, popularly known as the Maharashtra Samruddhi Corridor (MSC).

The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 46,000-crore which includes development of new towns along the expressway as agro-prosperity hubs. The RFQ has been invited for 16 packages on the EPC mode. The project is expected to be completed by 2019. Out of the total project cost, the cost of civil work for which the tenders are invited is estimated at Rs 27,650-crore which includes the cost for node development (estimated at Rs 2400 crore, and Rs 500 crore towards utility shifting).

“Encouraged by the overall response from farmers we are confident of getting consent for the project soon.

We would like to see the participation of quality players from the construction sector, said MSRDC joint MD Kiran Kurundkar.

According to K Ravichandran, senior VP and group head, corporate ratings, ICRA, “Iron ore volumes had been declining up to H1 FY 2016, as mining restrictions prevailed during a large part of the year in major states like Karnataka, Goa and Odisha due to policy measures such as high export duty. With lifting of bans and further relaxation of export duty on low grade iron ore in the budget, mining activities commenced gradually and further supported by a rise in prices, iron ore exports picked up in recent months. Commencement of exports by NMDC to Korea and Japan, based on a long-term agreement signed during the year is also likely to have supported volumes.”

MMRDA Developing 124-km Metro Network for Rs 61,289 cr The Maharashtra state government announced various infrastructure projects of which a few were taken up for implementation in 2016 and a few are to be undertaken this year. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has taken up five metro corridors – that are – 18.5-km Dahisar-W to DN Nagar Metro-2A corridor, 23.5-km DN Nagar to BKC to Mankhurd Metro-2B corridor, 33.5km Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro-3 corridor, 32-km Wadala-GhatkoparMulund-Thane-Kasarvadavli Metro-4 corridor and 16.5-km Andheri (East) to Dahisar (East) Metro-7 corridor. While three metro corridors – Dahisar-W

to DN Nagar Metro corridor, ColabaBandra-SEEPZ Metro corridor and Andheri (East) to Dahisar (East) Metro corridor – have been taken up for implementation this year; MMRDA has undertaken two new Metro corridors – 23.5-km DN Nagar to BKC to Mankhurd Metro-2B corridor and the 32-km Wadala-Ghatkopar-MulundThane-Kasarvadavli Metro-4 corridor – for implementation in 2017.

8 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

The five corridors will include Dahisar to Bandra (West) to BKC to Mankhurd and Thane, connecting eastern and western areas such as Andheri (East and West), Ghatkopar, Mulund including Wadala. The Metro-3 corridor will run from Colaba through areas such as Kalbadevi, Girgaum, Mahalaxmi, Worli, Dadar, Dharavi, BKC, domestic and international airports, MIDC, SEEPZ, etc. These five corridors will be used by more than five million (50 lakh) commuters from the 114 stations that will be constructed on this 124-km Metro network. The network will be inter-connected with each other as also provide interchanges at mono corridor.

Mumbai Infra Projects to Kick Off Besides the Metro network, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has uundertaken the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (Rs 17,843 crore), two flyovers at Kalanagar (Rs 227 crore) and an elevated road from Kurla to Vakola Junction (Rs 155.70 crore) projects. These three projects are to start in 2017. “The 6-lane and 22-km long crucial MTHL project will establish connectivity between South Mumbai and the mainland said Sanjay Khandare, Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA. The two flyovers at Kalanagar Junction, Bandra – one leading towards the Bandra Worli Sea Link and the other approaching Bandra-Kurla Complex are expected to provide seamless connectivity to the complex and also reduce traffic congestion in the complex.

L&T Set to Convert Pune into a Smart City

After bagging Smart City contracts for Mumbai and Nagpur, engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T), in early January, said it has been selected as the implementation partner for a similar project in Pune. The Mumbai-based engineering conglomerate said it has got a letter of intent (LOI) from the Pune Municipal Commissioner of Pune to enable wi-fi at 200 locations in the city and establish emergency call boxes, public address systems, environmental sensors, network connectivity and video analytics. The scope of work includes building a Smart City Operation Center (SCOC) that will integrate all services

and applications on a single platform.

“After having set up the country’s largest surveillance project in Mumbai involving more than 5000 cameras across 1,500 locations, and in the process of developing Nagpur into India’s first large scale integrated smart city, we consider this mandate as a reaffirmation of our capabilities,” said L&T deputy managing director S N Subrahmanyan.

The project will see high speed internet access across public places, buildings, bus stops, hospitals, parks and key road stretches. There will be emergency call systems, public address systems and variable message displays across the city.

After Derailments, Indian Railways to Focus on Safety

After two derailments near Kanpur in less than two months, Indian Railways has decided to procure the latest technology on a “war footing” to ensure passenger safety and reduce dependence on manual systems. Railway minister Suresh Prabhu said the two derailments, which have raised questions about

Indian Railways’ safety mechanism, as very sad. “I am very angry about the derailments. We have to bring down such cases. For that, safety inspections have to be more vigorous. We have to procure modern equipment for safety inspection on a war footing to avoid manual exercise,” he said. The railways

will procure modern equipment for faster detection of fracture on rail tracks. Besides, experts from Japan and Korea would examine the existing safety mechanism and suggest ways to strengthen it. Prabhu said all railway officers have been instructed to be involved in inspections on a regular basis. PSUs under railways, like IRCON, RITES and RVNL would also be involved in checking safety parameters and suggest measures to repair loopholes, if any. About the status of special railway safety fund, he said, “There will be no dearth of funds for safety works. We have written to the finance ministry for the special fund and the minister has agreed in principle for it. We were also assured of more safety funds this time.”

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 9

TALK

INDIA

Rustomjee Group Signs MoU With National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

At the Skill India Exhibition held in Kanpur, Rustomjee Group along with other companies, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to o skill workforce in the construction sector. Rustomjee

Group signed the MoU with NSDC to skill 10,000 employees. These employees would undertake special projects at International Migration Centres to train 5,000 construction workers, training them to service international markets and set up centres of excellence. Boman

Finance Execs Optimistic About Smart Cities: ACCA

Over 70 per cent of executives from the accounts and finance departments at various municipal corporations across the country are cautiously optimistic about the government’s ambitious plan to build 100 smart cities, says a 40-city survey conducted by UK-headquartered ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), the global body for professional accountants. Accounting and finance professionals constitute an important component in the roll-out of smart cities as municipal corporations and urban local bodies across India are expected to raise Rs 48,000 crore over the next few years to match the cen-

tral government’s allocation towards developing such cities. The survey was conducted with 40 respondents from accounts/finance and another 40 from general operations relevant to that city’s smart city plan during June-July 2016.

Significantly, 73 per cent of the finance executives were cautiously optimistic, while 27 per cent were pessimistic.

However, even those with a pessimistic view described the concept of smart cities as good; their pessimistic view was largely linked to doubts about the realisation of the concept rather than the idea itself. Respondents also listed the main issues that would critically influence the development of smart cities over the next three years. Fund raising and availability of talent was the top challenge, followed by legal framework (the large number of clearances, documentation for public private partnership (PPP) contracts, etc.), and project management issues linked to tight deadlines set by the Smart Cities Mission.

10 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

R. Irani, Chairman and Managing Director, Rustomjee Group said, “We commenced our skill development initiative in 2012 with a long-term vision of developing and placing India’s talent pool on the world map. We are delighted that our Prime Minister and NSDC has shown faith in Rustomjee to take this journey forward. We take immense pride for Rustomjee Academy for Global Careers (RAGC) to be a part of such a magnificent endeavour of providing a platform for various employees and youth in the country to excel in their careers and achieve their dreams.” The event also witnessed joint partnerships with various industries that will train and employ nearly 400,000 youth over the next three years.

Essar Oil Showcases Annual Performance Essar Oil Limited, in December 2016, announced to its shareholders that it had recorded its highest ever EBITDA, PAT and GRMs in FY 2015-16 at its 26th annual general meeting in Vadinar, Gujarat.

In FY2015-16, the company achieved EBIDTA of Rs 7,773 crore, which was 35 per cent higher than the previous year. The profit after tax was also at a new high of Rs 2,162 crore, a rise of 42 per cent from FY2014-15. The total throughput of the refinery stood at 19.1 MMT in FY 2015-16, compared to 20.49 MMT in the previous year.

The lower throughput during the year was on account of the planned shut down of 28 days undertaken during the September-October period. In the year ended March 31, 2016, Essar Oil clocked a record high current price Gross Refining Margin (CP-GRM) of $10.81 per barrel, compared with $8.37 in the previous year.

Reliance Infrastructure to Put All Road Projects in InvIT

at almost Rs 10,000 crore, under the trust,” said an official of the company.

The application follows that of IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd, which on September 9, filed the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) for its InvIT with SEBI to raise as much as Rs 4,300 crore.

Analysts said the market is looking for an 11 per cent yield which would give R-Infra’s roads business a valuation that is higher than the book value of about Rs 10,000 crore.

Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (R-Infra) has been given the certificate of registration for both its infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) fund and its trustee — Reliance Nippon Asset Management — to launch the Reliance Infrastructure InvIT Fund. “The firm is placing its entire road portfolio of 11 assets, valued

R-Infra has so far invested Rs 9,000 crore in its road projects, of which around Rs 5,500 crore is via debt, spanning 1,000 km across seven states. During the JulySeptember quarter of the current fiscal, the roads business earned a revenue of Rs 237 crore, which was an increase of 13 per cent year-on-year

IRB Gets NHAI’s Six-Laning Project Infrastructure major IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd (IRB), has emerged as a preferred bidder for the project of the six-laning of Kishangarh-Gulabpura section of 90 Km length in Rajasthan on NH-79 and NH-79A. The project length is 90 Kms. The project is on the design, build, finance, operate, transfer (DBFOT) mode under the National Highway Development Phase V (Package I). The concession period of the project is 20 years and the company will receive tolling rights from the appointed date. IRB offered a premium of Rs 186.30 crore to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). With this order, IRB’s totoal construction order book will stand to increase to approximately Rs 11,061 crore.

ICRA Assigns IrAAA Rating to Sterlite’s India Grid Trust

ICRA has assigned a long term rating of IrAAA (pronounced I R triple A) with Stable outlook to India Grid Trust (IndiGrid InvIT) and a long term rating of Provisional [ICRA]AAA (pronounced provisional ICRA triple A) with Stable outlook to the proposed Rs 1,000 crore non-convertible debenture (NCD) programme of Bhopal Dhule Transmission Company Limited (BDTCL). The rating assigned to the proposed NCD programme of BDTCL

is provisional subject to the execution of the debt documentation and the executed documentation being in line with the draft terms shared with ICRA. The issuer rating assigned reflects the strength of underlying power transmission assets proposed to be housed under the IndiGrid InvIT, i.e. BDTCL and Jabalpur Transmission Company Limited (JTCL). Both BDTCL and JTCL are operational power transmission projects with healthy line availability. Being

interstate transmission licensees (ISTS), these projects enjoy robust payment mechanism and low counterparty risk owing to the Point of Connection (POC) mechanism being operated by the Central Transmission Utility i.e. Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL).

The issuer rating also derives comfort from the sizeable reduction in the consolidated debt level (from Rs 2,600 crore presently to Rs 1,000 crore) post InvIT formation coupled with low cost of proposed external debt, resulting in significant reduction in overall interest cost and considerable improvement in the debt service indicators.

The InvIT should also enjoy stability in the cash flows due to factors like fixed nature of the annuity payment for both the assets, modest O&M expenses, and fixed rate interest expense for the proposed external debt. Sterlite Power Grid Ventures Ltd (SPGVL) is the sponsor and project manager for IndiGrid.

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 11

TALK

INDIA

Bandra Kurla Complex to Get a Makeover The University of Mumbai has decided to hand over 34,715 sq. meters of land to Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) which will be used for de-congesting the area around the important business district of the city – the Bandra Kurla Complex.

MMRDA will be constructing 1.2-km long elevated road with 2+2 lanes from Bharat Diamond Bourse Junction in BKC to Vakola Junction near WEH. For the purpose, Mumbai University will hand over land measuring 18,834 sq. meters to MMRDA. MMRDA will construct 400-m long and 30-m wide road in the vicinity of Mumbai University for additional connectivity from BKC to SCLR. For the purpose,

overall development of Mumbai University which will include construction of hostels, staff quarters, guests house, science block etc. in an area of 3 lakh sq. meters approximately.

A joint statement was issued

by UPS Madan, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA and Sanjay Deshmukh, Vice Chancellor, Mumbai University on the issue.

Mumbai University will hand over land measuring 15,881 sq. meters to MMRDA. The transfer and development (TDR), generated after handing over of the land to MMRDA, will be sold and used for the

MMRDA, in its pursuit to provide better connectivity to ever developing Bandra-Kurla Complex, is constructing a few flyovers like – one from Bandra-Worli Sea Link to BKC, which is aimed at providing signalfree, it will be Rs 253 crore.

MMRC Committed to Complete Metro Line III Construction by the Book been allotted for the Metro-3 activities after the lease of the private parties expired. “Accordingly, the temporary activities for the Metro-3 corridor have been initiated”, said Ms. Bhide.

The National Green Tribunal, by its order dated July 20, 2015 has restrained any construction and development activities within the boundary of 100 meters of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). The Metro-3 related activities are proposed to be housed in the area beyond the boundary of 100 meters. The National Green Tribunal, by its order dated January 13, 2016, has clarified that there is no restraint on construction activities of Metro-3 corridor.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) is committed to complete the construction of Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro-3 corridor by the book”, said Ashwini Bhide, MD, MMRC. The state government has handed over three hectares of land at Aarey Colony, abutting the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road for carrying out temporary activities including construction and casting yard required for the civil packages of the Metro-3 corridor. It is pertinent to note the said land had been allotted to the private parties by the Dairy Development Department to set up ready mix concrete plants since 2009. The same has 12 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

The Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro-3 corridor is a green project and will ultimately be environmentally beneficial to the city of Mumbai as it would reduce 6.65 lakh vehicle trips daily and save 2.95 lakh liters of fuel every day.

“Although, Metro projects do not require specific clearance under Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 2006 and is not a prohibited activity under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, MMRC has ensured that all lands – even required temporarily – for the Metro-3 construction receive statutory approvals. The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has, so far, granted CRZ clearances to 16 proposals of Metro-3 and five proposals are at the final stage of approval”, informed Ms. Bhide.

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COVER STORY

Looking Ahead in Infra If 2016 was a good year for infrastructure, expect more of the same in 2017.

I

ndia’s new fascination with infrastructure continued throughout 2016. The policy shift effected by India’s ruling government underlined a growing trend of accelerating urbanisation in developing countries.

In keeping with this theme, the Union Budget 2016-17 provided a significant outlay for infrastructure expenditure. The allocation of over Rs 2 lakh crore and a newly liberalised foreign direct investment (FDI) policy further underscored the government’s commitment to upgrading old infrastructure and creating new assets.

All this started to result in a growth in

spending in infrastructure segments like water, power, telecommunications, and transportation. The sector stayed well on course to deliver on big-ticket, showcase infrastructure projects, envisaged for the first time ever.

General Electric and Alstom won contracts worth a combined $5.6 billion to supply India’s railways with new locomotives, as the vast but dilapidated state-owned network began looking to foreign companies to help it modernise. The deal, although struck in November 2015, marked the start of the government’s intention to deliver on its promise of growth.

14 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

Indeed, a growing trend of rural people in developing nations increasingly moving to urban centres, in search of a better life, is expected to further spur additional infrastructure spending in major segments like energy and telecommunications.

India, for example, will add another 500 million to its urban population over the next four decades. Spending on telecommunications infrastructure alone is expected to increase to $30 billion by 2025, up from $27 billion in 2013. “If you don’t invest when your economy is growing, you may find yourself very quickly at a point where your runways and roads and ports

and rail lines are choked,” says Richard Abadie, PricewaterhouseCoopers’ global leader for capital projects and infrastructure.

So far, though, the infrastructure sector has been on a stable footing. While the pace has slowed down for certain key segments of late, expectations are high from the fourth quarter, usually the strongest quarter of the year. “We’ve seen good traction, particularly in the Indian Railways that awarded more than half of the budgeted outlay in the first half of the financial year. For FY18, the Railways ministry has proposed an outlay of Rs 1.35 lakh crore which signals the growing opportunity in this space,” says Alok Deora, an analyst with IIFL Wealth, an India-based brokerage and financial services advisory.

The roads sector also had a smooth ride with respect to projects awarded and under construction. While the projects awarded in the roads sector is likely to end flat year-on-year, construction might witness some growth. Nonetheless, the current pace of awarding and construction is among the highest ever run-rate for the sector.

The hybrid annuity model (HAM) has

emerged as a strong driver for projects and is expected to play a major role going forward. The government’s efforts have resulted in a pick up in awarding projects due to multiple factors, including the introduction of a number of developer-friendly regulatory measures. These have resulted in road awards crossing 10,000 km during FY16, a sharp jump from 8,000 km awarded in FY15.

Owing to this recent momentum in the roads segment, some road developers are sitting on order book to sales of 3-5x sales, and some at even seven times (the highest ever). In fact, at the end of FY16, a clutch of seven contractors that have been active in bagging EPC contracts recorded a combined order book of a whopping Rs 50,600 crore —levels never seen before, according to data sourced from companies. The last high was in FY12, when the order books of these seven contractors was at Rs 36,200 crore. They are therefore, well poised to deliver strong growth in the coming years.

Indeed, Nalin Gupta, managing director, J Kumar Infraprojects, said that his company’s order book is at

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 15

COVER STORY

historically high levels, thanks to the robust project awarding. “We are at Rs 10,000 crore plus order book as of now and these have come only from EPC contracts. We have seen ordering not

just from roads ministry and NHAI, but also in the metro space,” says Gupta. He says that the future revenues look good, and while the company expects to close FY17 with a top line of Rs 1,700 crore,

16 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

it expects to achieve a top line growth of 20-25 per cent for the next threefour years on the current order book position.

And along with the healthy pace of awards, Varun Mehta, chief financial officer, Sadbhav Infrastructure Project feels that the legacy issues of land availability, etc., are also getting resolved. “Therefore, I expect that the execution of projects will further gain momentum,” he says.

Rohan Suryavanshi, director, strategy and planning, Dilip Buildcon, adds the new hybrid model is a very safe model, unlike the earlier build, operate, transfer (BOT) projects. “In fact, there is no appetite for BOT projects anymore and banks are not financing these projects at all unless they have great confidence in a particular company or unless the project is a very significant one of national importance. We will bid for more hybrid road projects, as much as our balance sheet allows us since we

intend to remain financially sound.”

The metro projects, too, have witnessed significant traction in FY17 with key big ticket projects like the Mumbai Metro Line 3 and Metro Line 7 being awarded. A large number of more such metro projects are expected to be awarded in the fourth quarter and throughout the next financial year.

The infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) is also going to be another major theme this fag end of the current financial year and into the next as more developers queue up to establish InvITs and transfer their operating assets into various trusts. This would allow them to bid for more projects, thereby leading to more development.

Deora says his analysis on capital expenditure during FY17 indicates that while the central capex has been strong in the first half of the current fiscal, the state-wise capex has been below budget.

“State capex is likely to improve as some of the states go to poll during Q4 FY17. Private sector capex continues to remain weak due to stretched balance sheets,” says Deora.

Indeed, in the just concluded winter session of the Maharashtra state

assembly, the state government took a decision to increase expenditure, “We will spend more and the public works department (PWD) will award about 10,000 km in the next six months under the national highways programme. All of this will be under the hybrid annuity model,” PWD principal secretary Ashish Singh told Construction Times. He added that along with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the PWD would also bid out more projects for state highways.

In the Union Budget last year, the exact allocation of Rs 221,246 crore (or $33 billion) for several infra projects provided a significant boost. It may yet be surpassed again in February this year.

It’s not just roads, but the country’s ports are poised to mark great progress in the years to come. It is projected that by the end of 2017, port traffic will amount to 943.06 million metric tonne (MMT) for India’s major ports and 815.20 MMT for its minor ports. (In FY15, major ports handled 581.3 MMT of cargo, while non-major ports handled 471.2 MMT of cargo). Along with this, the Indian aviation market is expected to become the third largest across the globe by 2020, according to industry estimates.

18 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

The sector is projected to handle 336 million domestic and 85 million international passengers with projected investment to the tune of $120 billion.

To be sure, the increased impetus to develop world-class physical infrastructure in the country, be it roads, airports, ports, railways or power assets, is attracting both domestic and international players. The private sector is fast emerging as a key player.

Of course, the industry continues to be challenged by a shortage of skilled engineers and manpower, but help is arriving from world-class foreign multinational companies and the Indian government’s own laudable initiatives for smart cities, skill development, etc.

Indian companies, too, are enhancing their technological and service delivery capabilities through a combination of greenfield initiatives and joint ventures, partnerships and alliances with global players. The story wasn’t always so hunky-dory, as growing up pains became evident throughout the year.

Now, though, the numbers and other anecdotal evidence clearly point to a sector in expansionary mode. Based on its much improved performance in 2016, the industry is in for even better times. The action promises to be riveting in 2017. 

COVER STORY

INTERVIEW

“The Fundamental Challenge is Ultimately Land Acquisition” Kuljit Singh, Partner, Transaction Advisory Services (Infrastructure), Ernst & Young, shares his insights on the outlook for infrastructure in India in 2017.

There are some really big ticket projects that have been announced.

How do you think these will pan out?

There are some, notably in Maharashtra, in other coastal areas, in Kerala. These will be interesting for the simple reason that they are on the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model.

The Mumbai-Nagpur supercommunication expressway, the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), or the Mumbai coastal road are all EPC projects and they are all national projects. These are some state-level projects which are pretty visible. Some amount of work will get done in 2017 but due to initial teething issues, final work completion may take a few years.

Do you really think so, because one would expect the government has undergone a steep learning curve over the last couple of years and you have strict mandates from the likes of JICA and ADB now?

Yes, because in all of these projects, the fundamental challenge is ultimately land acquisition; and land acquisition is something no matter how many times you do it, every next land acquisition exercise poses a new challenge. You initially come up with the most innovative scheme for compensating land owners. In the next scene, they will ask for something different. Due to

changing expectations, land acquisition is generally pretty challenging. For the coastal projects like MTHL which is mostly over the sea, the challenges are less, but for the road projects over land, land acquisition is going to be a challenge. It also gets complicated because a lot of stakeholders who are a part of this entire process might have a different viewpoint on what is being done. I don’t think the mere presence of a multilateral agency is going to ensure a project will go through smoothly.

One thing which has changed is that environment clearance is not much of an issue now.

What about other aspects such as project management, etc?

Those things are in place. Basically, there are two issues. One could be due to any possible flaws in the contractual framework between the government and the contractor. The second is the possibility of the government, invariably, during the course of the project, being faced with a shortage of funds, due to project cost being typically based on current prices. Any delay in project then tends to impact the budget, causing the project to sometimes stop, with potential for disputes.

We have had amendments made to the Arbitration Act to take care of such disputes...

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This is going to be helpful for the stalled projects. Even here, my concern in 2017 will be if there is a project in which the arbitration award was in favour of the contractor and the contractor received some money.

However, later on, due to whatever reasons, if the arbitration is overturned, suddenly, the contractor might face a requirement for refund by the government. That could then pose new set of challenges for the entire system.

What can happen is, if the reversal starts happening too frequently, it will lead to uncertainty in the finances of the contractor as well. Right now, the assumption in the market is that just because the contractor won an arbitration award, it means they were right and the government was wrong. If this assumption gets tested in a few cases, this will lead to a lot of uncertainty. For the time being, though, it is a good step.

Land acquisition has been addressed by the Kelkar Committee report, hasn’t it?

Similar norms were there even earlier.

What the government discovered was that adherence to this norm was resulting in a delay in the rollout of projects. Therefore, with a view to expediting the roll-out, this norm was diluted. So now, it will be interesting to see how the slowdown in the roll-out of

As far as the users of the facility are concerned, the experience at the toll plazas as part of some projects was not really great for many people, resulting in a backlash against these projects.

Moreover, when evaluating inter-state highway stretches vs. intra-state, the usage of urban stretches tends to not be the same. The commonality between Delhi-Noida and Delhi-Gurgaon is that these are urban stretches which are used again and again by the same users. Further, the experience at the toll plaza negated the benefits of the highway itself. On the other hand on the inter-state highways, you can see a real benefit and hence you are faced with lesser tolling related issues.

projects impacts the government. Will it tend to result in a dilution of norms for land acquisition again, or will they tighten the process of land acquisition itself?

Has project implementation really slowed all that much?

If you look at the other sectors in which the government is acquiring land such as solar power projects, they have not been able to acquire land for solar power as fast as envisaged. There, it is already happening but the government is resisting the temptation of coming out of the issue by diluting the minimum land acquisition requirements prior to issue of a bid. Supposing this delay keeps on happening – because unfortunately, land acquisition is a state subject and not necessarily something that can be controlled by the central government –and state governments are busy delaying the land acquisition process, we have to see what will be response of the government.

Road projects have not been impacted yet in a major way?

Not yet, but the number of projects which are getting actually awarded is actually small. 2017 will be a defining year as it will determine the outcome of

the project backlog from 2016 and the new projects of 2017. So this will be the time to revisit this whole issue of the impact from land acquisition and how it affects the whole project awarding process.

How about railways? We have seen huge capex outlay.

I believe this is important because the government is essentially undertaking the capex on its own through contractors, but not involving the private sector in terms of typical BOT projects. Everything is being done by the ministry through contractors and there is no public, private, partnership (PPP) model as such (excluding some small projects for station modernisation and two projects for procurement of locos/engines). Nonetheless, if you disregard the dedicated freight corridor (DFC) project, there doesn’t seem to be too many other major programmes that are being planned for the next twothree years (other than usual gauge conversion/extension projects). In our view, railways is relatively less active in comparison to the roads sector.

On tolling, how much of an impact has the flip-flop policy on toll collection impacted sentiment?

What about Maharashtra and Gujarat where light motor vehicles have been exempted?

Maharashtra was, and still is, one of the most progressive states but somehow, the practices that were adopted in some (though not all) highway sector projects and in some renewable energy projects have potential for marked improvement.

Your thoughts on the overall themes that could play out in infrastructure in 2017?

The most notable will be what happens to the infrastructure investment trust (InvIT). It is a very new concept for India and something very revolutionary. Some developers have already filed for initial public offerings (IPOs). The second thing is what happens to the thermal power projects.

There is a massive amount of capacity and thermal power projects have just fallen by the wayside. It is a sector that is under deep stress today and it will be very interesting to see how this sector develops because if it is not rescued, I think there will be a sharp increase in the non-performing assets (NPAs) of the banks as a huge amount of loans are outstanding for these thermal power projects. In all the other infrastructure segments, I believe it is going to be business as usual. Whatever they did in 2016, they will continue to do in 2017.

Maybe, the magnitude will increase. 

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 21

EVENT REPORT

CONSTRUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

CONSTRUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

The deserving winners received their accolades at the function hosted by BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA 2016, Gurgaon, in the presence of more than 350 guests from the construction industry.

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hampions of the construction and infrastructure industries were seen on one platform at the Construction Times Awards function in Gurgaon. India’s fastest growing construction companies, construction equipment manufacturers as well as construction building materials companies - across several categories - were being awarded. More than 200 top business owners, Chairmen, MDs, CEOs, Directors and Marketing heads were present for the Construction Times Awards that was held at BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA, on December 12, 2016.

Congratulations to all winners across categories that ranged from project awards to individual ones; and our heartflet thanks to one and all for their participation and presence.

This time, one of the main attractions during the awards function was the launch of the new Equipment Times magazine from the stable of ARK Media & Events. This new offering will highlight stories, present expert analysis and insight, engage all stakeholders and promises to deliver actionable insight every edition, dedicated to the construction equipment industry.

As most of the awardees rightly said, the coming year is expected to be a good one for the construction and equipment sector and on this note, CT is glad to have awarded the best of the people who will probably shape the sector in the times to come. Over the last year or so, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stones for many key infrastructure projects, including the country’s longest sea bridge and two metro lines in Mumbai city, entailing an investment of over Rs 1.06 lakh crore. These awards are a way of recognising those who can get this dream projects come to life.

It was not an easy process to get to the awards. There was a

Ramamurthy Mayavan, Editor in Chief, Ark Events & Media, felicitates Rao Narbir Singh.

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Rao Narbir Singh, Minister, Haryana PWD (Buildings & Roads), Civil viation, Forest & Architecture, lights the auspious lamp.

Harayana Welcomes Industries

Extracts from the speech by Rao Narbir Singh, Minister, as he addresses the assembled gathering.

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merica does not have good roads as it is rich but it is rich as it has good roads. Haryana is a small state, which is on three sides of Delhi and its connectivity is excellent. I can, with confidence say, the connectivity of Haryana is much better than other states as roads here are better than others. Last year, in the month of March, we did an industrial summit, ‘Happening Harayana’ where a lot of construction companies came. Investors were there and more than Rs 5 lakh crore MOU’s were signed. PM Modi’s thought that the country is growing, and to fulfill and maintain the growth, the support of all of us is most important. When I was small, a construction company used to make roads with the help of labourers. Slowly, as the country progressed, the age of machines came and in the last 10-15 years, there has been a tremendous growth in the construction equipment sector. You people came, gave your machinery and the work started happening faster. You made the machinery. To compete with other countries, Indian companies have to make good construction machinery and work in an efficient manner. I invite companies to Haryana to set up more and more manufacturing plants.

(L to R), DK Vyas, SREI, Anand Sundaresan, Schwing Stetter (India), Dennis Slater, AEM, Vikram Sharma, KOBELCO, Rao Narbir Singh, Minister and Anand Kumar, NHIDCL, launch Equipment Times magazine.

stringent process to go through to reach this destination. There were two rounds of jury meets that took place with a lot of scrutiny on all nominations that were selected as the winning ones. In the first round, the jury that consisted of prominent, learned men and women associated with this fraternity, decided on the process and criteria for selection.

The jury members were Prof. M N Sreehari, advisor to the Government of Karnataka for Traffic, Transport and Infrastructure; H S Mohan, Chief Executive officer, Infrastructure Equipment Skill Council, Sanjay Kumar Garg, Partner, Leader, Capital Projects, PwC; Dr Harshavardhan Subbarao, MD, Construma Consultancy; Veena Arunkumar, interior designer and CMD, IIID Thane Regional Chapter, Piyush Gandhi, National Director, JLL; Dr V

The eminent jury panel scrutinised each application over two rigorous selection rounds.

Ramachandra, Senior Vice President and Head (Tech Services), UltraTech Cement. This eminent panel had the mountainous task of sifting through all the nominations. The next round saw

round-table conferences and intense discussions to select the deserving awardees and projects. Finally, the panel arrived at a list of finalists after a rigorous selection process in each category.

The awards function drew a full house with the gathering watching in excitement, and lauding the winners on the night.

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 23

ConsTuction Times Awards 2016

Winners

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ard w A t c Proje

(L-R) Ramamurthy Mayavan, Editor in Chief, Ark Events & Media , Rao Narbir Singh, Minister, Haryana PWD (Buildings & Roads), Anand Kumar, MD, NHIDCL, Govt. of India, presents the award to Anantakumar R, Executive VP, Afcons Infrastructure 24 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

Best Executed Highway Project Of The Year Jammu-Udhampur Highway Project - Afcons Infrastructure One of the most challenging road projects in Jammu & Kashmir of widening National Highway-1A was completed by the company. This is the fastest hill road project ever that was executed by an Indian infrastructure company. It has reduced the travel time between Jammu and Udhampur to 45 minutes from 2.5 hours.

(L-R) Ramamurthy Mayavan, Rao Narbir Singh and Anand Kumar presents the award to Jayant Dixit, COO, Ashoka Buildcon

Best Executed Bridge Project Of The Year Roopnarayan Bridge Kolkata - Ashoka Builcon Roopnarayan Bridge, Kolkata cost Rs 95.17 crore. It was completed in 12 months. For the bridge to be newly constructed, construction of pile foundations and substructures were carried out with great technical skill.

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 25

CONSTUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

WINNERS

Best Executed Tunnel Project Of The Year Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel - HCC The Pir Panjal railway tunnel is India’s longest tunnel for transportation measuring 11.215 km. This outstanding tunnel is 100 per cent waterproof. The tunnel passes 400 m below the Jawahar road tunnel and offers all-weather connectivity to Kashmir valley.

(L-R) Rao Narbir Singh and Anand Kumar, presents the award to S. D. JEUR, Construction Head, Hydro, HCC Best Executed Power Project Of The Year Indo - Bangladesh Border Line - KEC International

(L- R) Rajinder Gupta, VP, South Asia T&D, KEC International and Nitin Gupta, Senior Manager South Asia T&D, KEC International receiving award from Anand Sundaresan, VC & MD, Schwing Stetter India, Vikram Sharma, MD & CEO , Kobelco Construction Equipment India , Ramamurthy Mayavan, Editor in Chief, Ark Events & Media

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The 400 kV Double Circuit Twin Indo-Bangladesh Cross Border Interconnection, completed five months ahead of its scheduled completion time is one of the hallmark projects executed by KEC International Ltd. for Power Grid Corporation of India Limited. A step towards strengthening bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh, this project holds special economic significance, while also empowering the lives of people by providing uninterrupted power supply across the border thereby socially uplifting the region. The scope of this project comprised of constructing 64 towers covering a length of 17.68 kms over a 12-month period to evacuate power of approximately 100 MW. KEC successfully delivered the project in record 7 months. In recognition of this achievement, KEC has received an appreciation letter from PowerGrid.

Best Power Project Of The Year 400 KV QMDC Transmission Line from Jammalamadugu to Narnoor (100km) Tata Projects Economics in internal transportation cost was worked out that yielded better cost saving. The project team restored electricity to Hud Hud affected regions. The structure acts as a barrier for landslides also.

(L-R) Rao Narbir Singh and Anand Kumar, presents the award to Vivek Gautam, Vice President (Transmission), Rajesh Pandey, Tata Projects and Naresh Sharma, Head, Marketing Communications Best Executed Wastewater Project Of The Year Integrated Decentralised Sewage Project, Mumbai - SPML Infra India’s first integrated sewage project with decentralised STPs and network for Mira Bhayander, Mumbai. Benefits include being totally covered with no smells, clean environment, clean streets and roads, and a lesser electricity consuming treatment process; treatment plant requires lesser space than conventional systems.

(L- R) Rao Narbir Singh and Anand Kumar presents the award to Sanjay Jain, VP, Human Resource, SPML Infra Best Executed Solar Project Of The Year Solar PV Tracker Project - L & T Construction, PT & DIC, Solar BU 60 MWp Solar PV Tracker project in Veerakudi (nicknamed T3), is one of the country’s largest single axis tracker based solar PV power projects. Spread over 340 acres of land, 27,000 perfectly aligned micro-piles, mounting 192192 solar PV poly-crystalline modules. T3 uses a staggering 1112 mt of steel, 3860 cu.m of concrete and 650 kms of cable. 22 teams of experienced sub-contractors were inducted for execution of the project.

Maintaining world class standards in material, execution and safety helped clock 0.65 million safe man-hours.

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 27

CONSTUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

WINNERS

Best Executed Urban Infrastructure Improvement Project Of The Year Elevated Corridor on Outer Ring Road between Vikaspuri to MeeraBagh - PWD (Delhi) Total length of project is 4.3 km with elevated corridor length as 3.3 km. The elevated corridor consists of three-lane carriage way for both ways. The elevated corridor is supported on single pier of size 3.00 x 3.00 m on the central verge with pier spacing of approximately 36 m. The deck has been constructed with precast segments joined with longitudinal post-tensioning to form the central spine.

(L- R) Ravindra Yadav, Superintending Engineer, PWD, GNCTD receving award from Ramamurthy Mayavan, Rao Narbir Singh and Anand Kumar.

Best Executed Social Sector Project Of The Year ESIC – Medical and Hospital Project - NCC ESIC project is built in the sprawling campus of the Gulbarga University, Gulbarga, Karnataka in 55 Acres. It has an Ultra Modern multi-specialty 500 bedded Hospital, Medical college, Dental College etc.

(L- R) Ramamurthy Mayavan, Editor in Chief, Ark Events & Media Pvt Ltd, Rao Narbir Singh, Forest, Civil Aviation & Architecture Minister Govt of Haryana, PWD (B&R); Anand Kumar, MD, NHIDCL,Govt of India giving award to A K Yadav, Senior General Manager-BD and Project Coordination, NCC

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ation v o n n I r o t Sec Awards

Best Steel Company Of The Year Tata structura Brand, Tata Steel The Tubes Division manufacturers commercial tubes for conveyance segments under the brand name of Tata Pipes, structural tubes for construction segment under the brand name of Tata Structura and Precision Tubes for Auto and boiler segments under the brand name of Tata Precision Tubes.

The manufacturing process is governed by a comprehensive quality plan.

(L- R) Ramamurthy Mayavan, Rao Narbir Singh, Anand Kumar, presents award to Vineet Saraf, Chief of Marketing & Sales,TATA Steel, Tubes Division

Contribution to Construction Industry

Best PEB Company Of The Year Kirby Building Systems India Ltd Kirby Building Systems is the market leader in producing steel buildings and structures in India and provides top class customer service through its integrated ERP system. Experience in design, fabrication and erection with over 5,000 satisfied customers having built more than 16,000 buildings.

(L- R) Rajeev Shrivastava, GM, Sales, Prashant Ranjan, GM, Sales, Kirby Building Systems India Ltd receving award from Anand Sundaresan, Vice Chairman & MD, Schwing Stetter India

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 29

CONSTUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

WINNERS Best Construction Equipment Company Of The Year Case New Holland Construction Equipment India

(L- R) Ramamurthy Mayavan, Rao Narbir Singh, Anand Kumar, presents award to Shalabh Chaturvedi, Head Marketing, CASE CE India

CASE Construction Equipment is a brand of CNH Industrial N.V., a global leader in the capital goods sector that, through its various businesses, designs, produces and sells agricultural and construction equipment, trucks, commercial vehicles, buses and specialty vehicles, in addition to a broad portfolio of powertrain applications. Across its 12 brands, 62 manufacturing plants, 48 research and development centers and a workforce of more than 71,000 people, CNH Industrial is present in 190 countries giving it a unique competitive position.

Best Concrete Equipment (Middle) Company Of The Year KYB - Conmat Pvt Ltd KYB-Conmat has an exhaustive Construction Equipment product portfolio that is designed and manufactured in accordance with advanced International standards, and is widely used by a cross section of industries.

KYB-Conmat’s Construction Equipment product range includes - automatic concrete batching and mixing plants, transit mxers, concrete pumps and concrete paving machines for canals and Roads.

(L- R) Rao Narbir Singh, Anand Kumar, presents award to Nagesh Kudva (Marketing Director), Chandrakant Munshi (Director), Sailaj Verma (Sr. VP , Marketing), KYB Conmat

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Best Equipment Finances Company Of The Year SREI Equipment Finance The SREI Group has been the frontrunner in bringing various innovations, the first player to identify and focus on the niche segment of construction equipment financing in India. It created the eco-system of the construction equipment financing market right from financing to leasing to rental to auction.

(L- R) Ramamurthy Mayavan, Rao Narbir Singh, Anand Kumar presents award to Devendra Kumar Vyas, CEO, Financial Services, SREI Equipment Finance

Best Tyre Company Of The Year Balkrishna Industries (Tyre) In several operating conditions, offhighway tires need increased traction.

Liquid ballasting can be useful to achieve major traction. In areas with a harsh climate, it is advised to add anti-freezing agents such as calcium chloride or magnesium chloride.

(L- R) Ramamurthy Mayavan, Rao Narbir Singh, Anand Kumar, giving award to S Prasanta Kumar Ganguly, Head After Market, BKT

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 31

CONSTUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

WINNERS

Best Elevator Company Of The Year Kone Elevator India

(L- R) Ramamurthy Mayavan, Rao Narbir Singh, Anand Kumar, giving award to Amit Gossain, MD, Kone Elevator India

KONE provides elevators, escalators and automatic building doors, as well as solutions for modernization and maintenance to add value to buildings throughout their life cycle. It has a training centre where KONE’s installation engineers and field mechanics are trained to meet KONE India’s strong reputation for high quality and uncompromised safety.

Best Concrete Equipment (SME) Company Of The Year Ajax Fiori Engineering India

(L- R) Ramamurthy Mayavan, Rao Narbir Singh, Anand Kumar, giving award to Jagadish Bhat, CEO, Ajax Fiori Engineering (I)

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AJAX FIORI is the personification of concreting equipment and solutions that makes concrete sense . It promises to deliver concreting solutions through its equipment those batches, mixes, transports and places concrete wherever the need is, whenever the need arises for whatever the nature of need is.

Best CSR Activity Of The Year Fellowship Program - JCB India The objective is to enable young adults to have access to higher education and improve their scope of employability. It aims to create a system forcareer oriented information, resources and knowledge management that will provide information, counseling and need based support (financial or otherwise) to the students from the weaker section of the society.

(L- R) Ramamurthy Mayavan, presents award to Kehkeshan Alam, Asssistant General manager CSR, JCB India

Best CSR Activity Of The Year - Mahindra & Mahindra - Truck & Bus Division Mahindra Saarthi Abhiyaan is a small step towards empowered India. It is an effort to encourage girl child education. It is to support the Driver give a push for further enabling his daughter to pursue education and not drop out after the primary and the secondary class. The intent was to help the driver community by offering scholarships to their girl children who are continuing their education beyond 10th standard.

(L- R) Rao Narbir Singh, Anand Kumar, giving award to Rajkumar Gupta, National Tipper Head, Mahindra & Mahindra , Truck & Bus Division

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 33

CONSTUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

WINNERS Best Equipment Manufacturer Promoting IESC Skilling & Certification Larsen & Toubro , Construction & Mining Machinery

(L- R) P Rajkumar, Training Manager , Oscar D’Silva, Sr DGM – Mining Equipment, Ramamurthy Mayavan, Vikram Sharma, MD & CEO, Kobelco Constrcution India , giving award to Arun Pai, GM, Product Support, Construction & Mining Machinery Business, Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Rao Narbir Singh, Anand Kumar and Naresh K Thakur, DGM & Head – Training

Under the NSDC / IESC umbrella, L&T-CMB is on a mission to train, upgrade the competencies, and certify Operators and Mechanics in the construction equipment sector. Apart from providing youth with employable skills, L&T is also attempting to enhance the recognition and stature of this trade in society, so that people take pride in being an operator or a mechanic of these equipment.

Best NON – OEM IESC, Training Partner – Maximum Certification for the year 2015-16 SBZ Institute of Technology, Sholapur

(L-R) Vikram Sharma, MD & CEO, Kobelco Construction Equipment India , Rao Narbir Singh, giving award to Arun Pai, GM, Product Support, Construction & Mining Machinery Business, L & T and Anand Kumar

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SBZ has its own campus and It is spread over an area of 11 acres. campus premises, includes spacious classrooms, workshop rooms, seminar hall and auditorium, equipped with audiovisual aids.

The Vision of the college is To be a national leader in transforming lives through an innovative, rigorous, and compassionate approach to education.

Best IESC,Training Partner OEM -Dealer Maximum Certification for the year 2015-16 DADA Earth Movers (JCB Authorised Dealer), Jalandhar Since its inception, Dada Earthmovers has provided services to more than a thousand JCB customers in North Punjab.

Dada Earthmovers operates in Jalandhar, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur regions of Punjab.

With 54 employees, state of the art infrastructure and vision “to become role model in industry, Dada Earthmovers has set itself up for greater success in the future as well

(L- R) Vikram Sharma, MD & CEO, Kobelco Construction Equipment India , Rao Narbir Singh, Anand Kumar, giving award to Vishal Dada, CFO, M/s. Dada Earthmovers.

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 35

roject P k r a m d n La awards

Best Executed Landmark Project of the Year (Airport) Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai - GVK Group The design of the Terminal Building places a high priority on material efficiency and ease of construction, making use of repetitive, modular designs to accommodate construction phasing and permit rapid construction.

The iconic new Terminal 2 is India’s first and most advanced vertical passenger terminal that integrates world class design, architecture, infrastructure and operational efficiency, with rich Indian heritage and culture.

(L- R) Rao Narbir Singh, Forest, Civil Aviation & Architecture Minister Govt of Haryana, PWD (B&R), Anand Kumar, MD, NHIDCL, Govt of India presenting award to Rajagopal Anilraja, VP, Project, GVK Group

Best Executed Landmark Project of the Year(Port) - Deepening and Widening of Mumbai Harbour Channel and JN Port Channel – (Phase-I) - JNPT The Port decided to dredge the channel for accommodating vessels upto a draught up to 14 m of 6000 TEU capacity using tidal window and upto 12 m draught vessels at all states of tide. The Port has completed deepening and widening of the existing channel to accommodate upto 14 mtrs. draught vessels sby using tidal window.

(L- R) Anil Diggikar, IAS, Chairman, JNPT receving the award from Ramamurthy Mayavan, Editor in Chief, Ark Events & Media 36 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

CONSTRUCTION TIMES Builders Awards 2017

Place : Mumbai Date : April 29, 2017 Glance of Construction Times Builders Awards 2016

CONSTUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

WINNERS

“2017 we are going to come up with new launches.”

V. Senthil Kumar, Managing Director of Propel industries receives promising entrepreneur of year award Infrastructure industry will be booming in 2017, what is your stand about it and how will it help the equipment industry?

Definitely, it is going to be good, there is no doubt on that. Funds will be flowen in so infrastructure development will be happening in a timely manner.

Any percentage increase that you are expecting?

As far as Propel is concerned, we have grown around 60 percent last year. This year also we will be growing around 70 percent. So we are expecting the same growth rate.

Are you planning to come up in 2017?

2017 we are going to come up with new launches.

We are coming up with track mounted plant and track mounted pressures, track mounted jack, screen and hoe and screen pressures we are going to launch next year.

Mechanization will be used more and labor will be used less will this be happening in the coming years?

Definitely. We have already started giving plants with automated solutions which has reduced the number of people where the machine itself monitors the performance and the feeding is done automatically.

Individual Awards

But is India ready for these kinds of machines?

We have no other option now , to reduce the cost we need to do mechanisation. It not only reduces the cost but also improves the performance of the plant, the

38 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

consistency is better with automation. We will train people for the same.

GST is one thing which is being talked about a lot. It may be sanctioned in 2017, will it affect the industry?

I think it will be better for the industry in general.

Especially for our kind of industry it will create a level playing field, competition from the smaller companies, the unorganised sector and everybody will come in the same tax bracket that will help us organised players.

CONSTUCTION TIMES AWAR

Has demonetization affected the equipment industry in any way?

Yes, it has affected. We are experiencing a little bit of turmoil now. But I think in a month or two the process change will smotheen. Rightly everybody feels that it is good for the long term.

In 2017 will you be focusing on any particular sector?

Normally we used to concentrate more on retail and road projects. Now we started supplying to iron ore mines, we have supplied a plant in Bellary now. It’s working very well and we are expecting more orders from iron ore mines.

Also with the government now planning to go to the north-east and Himalayan terrain to build roads will your company also paln in these areas?

We have just two plots of Himachal Pradesh now. There challenges related to the environment and related to the political scenario are different and more. But we will try to explore this area also.

You foresee 2017?

We have done 60-70 percent growth this year for Propel. We are hoping that the same growth can be achieved in 2017. 

CONSTUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

“Award Dedicated to the Team” Premraj Keshyep, MD, KYB Conmat, accepts the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award.

How do you feel on receiving the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award?

I would like to thank CT for this award. It will inspire me to do more hard work . I dedicate this award to our team, our people, our vendors and our customers who have helped KYB Conmat rise to this occasion.

products. We are producing concrete equipments which are at par international standards. We focus on skill development and have recently launched operator training school. Three batches of operator have now made it to local market. We are also focusing on indigenous R & D thrust in developing new products.

Is the Indian equipment market ready for international competiton?

There are already many strong international companies in Indian construction equipment market.

We are among the late entrants, however with the strong loyal support of our customers we are growing better than anticipated. We have already started exporting our concrete equipment to 15 countries which are well appreciated resulting in repeat orders. Our web based diagnostics and ability to provide solutions online gives us the edge to monitor the equipments in remote locations.

Is there any dream project you want to perceive for your company?

We want to be the number one in Concrete Equipment manufacturer in India by 2020.

One of the biggest focus points of PM Narendra Modi’s government is infrastructure development which is related to economic growth; in what way will it help industry?

We had tremendous business growth in last few years since we manufacture infrastructure related

One of the biggest achievements in your career till now?

Being a first generation entrepreneur, it was certainly a big task to achieve business growth and market reputation as well, especially when the market was not growing and we were a late entrant in the market. I also feel proud in getting a big Japanese corporation like KYB as our equity partner.

How is your role model in the industry?

Being in responsible position in CII, advising government on concrete development, taking up CSR in a strong way and making all the stakeholders including our vendors, employees and customers grow together. 

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 39

CONSTUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

WINNERS

“Trained Operators are the Need of the Hour” Anand Sundareshan, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Schiwng Shetter, receives the Outstanding Contribution in Equipment Sector award.

How do you feel on receiving the Outstanding Contribution in Equipment Industry?

I did not expect to be awarded. It came as a pleasant surprise.

Such kind of awards certainly encourage people as it is a kind of lesson or an indication to the other people that if you contribute something good, then definitely it will be recognised some day or the other. I was happy that somebody recognised our contribution to the equipment sector.

How do you see the equipment market in India growing n 2017, What are the company’s plans for 2017?

2017 will defiantly be a good year or it will be similar to 2016 but much better than 2015 as tere was a growth of almost 30 per cent . I don’t think it will happen in the first half of 2017. Every sector govermnet wants to focus but road sector has proved it by awarding contracts where as in other sectors the contracts have not been awarded as yet. They should also start awarding contracts then there will be long term growth for industry.

Any specific equipment that will have more market demand in the coming year?

Yes equipments of rural roads, rural development, northeast development, on which government is giving a lot of push wii be developed particularly. I personally feel that the kind of equipment available in India are not good enough because the big manufactures are concentrating only on the bigger projects like national highway project, state highway project or airports where bigger equipments are required. Few manufactures can really produce the equipment for smaller roads, having the rural road development.

Mechanization of market is happening at a very fast rate, do you feel the Indian market is ready for the same?

Construction is the only industry where mechanisation is happening in a very big way. Contractors have an 40 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

international connection, they know what is happening in the world market, people are going for big fairs all over the world. .Trained operators are needed to operate these equipments to get the best performance of all these equipments. We have started training operators, mechanics and also we are trying to get the training sectors of different manufactures, dealers and distributors and the IIT’s to provide us training.

Is there any dream project you want to perceive for your company?

We are basically in the concreting segment which is only 10 per cent of the total construction segment; within the concrete also there are other products that are available, we are trying to see if we can tie up with other company or if there is a possibility of expanding in that area. We may be adding new products in our profile from green line and maybe we will add some yellow line.

One of the biggest achievements and what challenges you faced while achieving it?

You gave our company, this award for achievement for contribution for construction industry, our company, we have played a very important role in promoting the ready mix in India, this goes way back to 1992. Ready mix was brought in by us was one big achievement in my life, a few handful of people were there in support of this. Our company has contributed a lot in the ready mix sector in India and its growth in here. The biggest challenge in this was the acceptability of this ready mix, people were not willing to accept it and cement was the costliest component in the concrete to be made was computer controlled so that had the exact quantity of cement needed to be added and there were challenges for excise duty but after lot of fight with government we got it in India. 

“We Will Bring in More Innovation” Vikram Sharma, MD and CEO, KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT (I) reflects on the journey thus far, looks ahead to the future as he receives the Outstanding Contribution in the Equipment Industry award.

How do you feel on receiving the Outstanding Contribution in Equipment Industry?

It is an honour to be conferred with the subject award amidst an august gathering of leaders of the CE industry at BCIndia 2016, after being a part of this industry for several decades. I am thankful for this recognition to the organisers as well as the esteemed members of the Jury.

How do you see the equipment market in India growing In 2017? What are the company’s plans for 2017?

In all probability, the CE market will maintain its growth trend of 2016 and show positive figures for all. Many of the govt initiatives are expected to show results leading to much larger execution of Works/ Projects and consequently a substantial rise in demand for CE. Kobelco India will continue its efforts to improve market share and fulfill its objective of being one of the leading players in the served segment of the CE industry. We also plan to introduce the next generation Excavator mid-year. This will aim to bring the best of current technology to the Indian market and meet growing Customer expectations.

With PM declaring a lot of projects in infrastructure, do you see there will be growth in the construction equipment market?

It has taken several years for this stage to emerge but with the PM’s efforts to provide the much required thrust to building a robust infrastructure in the country, it finally seems to be on the way. Most companies made investments in anticipation of this growth some years back but had to contend with the downturn in the

following few years throwing up major challenges. It is hoped that this trend will sustain for the next 5-7 years to realize the true potential for the CE industry.

Is there any dream project you want to perceive for your company?

Yes, certainly. We would like to bring in the latest innovations and features into our machines made in India so thsat we could be a real manufacturing hub for India as well as some overseas markets. However, this is possible only after the market sees an overall up-gradation of technology, thereby providing a healthy level-playing field.

One of the biggest achievements in your career till now and what difficulties you faced while achieving it?

The introduction of Kobelco to India and the setting up of a nationwide network followed by the creation of a manufacturing facility to fulfill the expectations of the Indian Customers in tough conditions and with well-established global players around, has been an eventful journey. It has been a unique and satisfying experience. I have seen the company grow from a very small set-up to good-sized organization employing over a thousand people, directly or indirectly.

The company was able to maintain a positive year-on-year growth even during the downturn period.

There have been constant challenges in the shape of exchange rates fluctuations, low demand for several years, manpower competence and retention, etc. India is a very large country and covering it adequately for prompt and quality support was also a major challenge as a large percentage of the machines work in remote locations.  January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 41

CONSTUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

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“I Feel More Responsible to do Better”

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Vinayak Deshpande, Managing Director, TATA Projects , receives the CEO of the Year award.

How do you feel on receiving the award?

It is a great feeling and at the same time this makes me feel more responsible because these recognitions come due to the service that you give to the customers and the industry , it just tells you that you need to do in a better way. I greatly thankful to my customers and the industry partners, and of course my office colleagues who have made this possible. All Individual have helped in making our company visible, to Awards make our services more promising, something that meets the customer expectations which is what brings the award to me. I feel more responsible to do better now. xxxx

In one line if you want to say what TATA projects stands for?

In one line if I have to say it - actually we have this one line - ‘Simplify. Create’. We take pride in when customers think that projects are very complicated ,a lot of approvals and clearances are needed but in our view if you organise it properly, it can become a very simple thing to do. Our effort continuously is how we make it simple. Big projects can be made simpler with proper infrastructure and proper resources. And secondly we love everything that we build. It should become like our signature; the building that I make I should be proud of it. The skyline that we make should be able be say this is my project. 

WINNERS

Seven New Innovative Products Launched Vippin Sondhi, MD & CEO, JCB India, is enthused as he accepts the Best CEO Of the Year award.

What is your feeling on receiving the award?

I would like to thank the Construction Times magazine and the Jury for having awarded me . I would mention that the entire team at JCB India has played an important role in this achievement.

JCB has been in India for close to four decades and it is a great feeling to see our Customers place their trust and faith in us.

How do you see the market scenario in 2017?

The calendar year 2016 has been a good year for the Earthmoving and 42 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

Construction Equipment Industry with close to 45 per cent growth over the year 2015. We feel that in 2017, as an Industry we should surpass our previous best that was achieved in 2011.

The Government’s continued thrust on roads and highways and a focus on irrigation and railway projects will help achieve that.To leverage this, at JCB we launched seven new innovative products at the Bauma Conexpo show, at Gurugram. With this new and larger equipment range, JCB is Transforming itself into a full range infrastructure equipment partner.

What is your say on Construction Times magazine?

Construction Times has been a leading trade magazine with credible content for many years. I wish the magazine all the best and am certain that with the launch of Equipment Times, the magazine will cover an even wider reader base.

“Proud Moment and Great Feeling”

Dr. S S Porwal,VSM, Additional Director General of Border Roads (Addl DGBR) Border Roads Organisation, MoD, Govt. of India, receives the Border Roads Organisation – Dedicated Services Award.

How do you feel on receiving the Dedicated Services Award of the year?

It was a proud moment and great feeling, while receiving the “Dedicated Service Award” before the galaxy of construction Industry . One felt that at last the 36 years dedicated and hard work in interior and difficulty area has finally been recognized by the society.

Could you tell us about some of your projects that will be commissioned in the next year?

Three important roads in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim shall be completed .One short length road tunnel in North Sikkim shall also be completed. Names cannot be mentioned due security reasons .

Is there any dream project you want to perceive for your company?

Yes, one already completed and one we have and it is planning stage.

One of the biggest achievements in your career till now and what difficulties you faced while achieving it?

As Task Force Commander in

Himachal Pradesh two year 1999 and 2000 were lifetime challenging experience and lifetime job satisfaction in my 36 years hill road profession. In 1999 the innovative and out of box approach of early commencement than laid down instructions and a totally different methodology for winter snow clearing approach resulted in two months early opening of alternate Leh route via Rohtang pass was a game changer for “OP Vijay” due to which a full scale induction to Kargil became possible and for which I was awarded “VSM” . In 2000 I survived a Single engine Hepter crash while discharging my duties. On 31 July/ 1 Aug 2000 mid night GLOF event led the devastating Sutlej flood destroyed Hindustan –Tibbet Road completely.

The restoration was carried out on war footing totally in innovative, out of Box ideas which are nowhere in text books and practiced. I used to walk on an average 20 Km in high altitude daily for almost six months and survived many times life threatening incidents. The complete Apple crop was allowed to go by innovative out despite non availability of road by synergizing all resources available enroute. Govt . Of Himachal Pradesh recognized my efforts and awarded by HE Governors of Himachal Pradesh Certificate.  January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 43

CONSTUCTION TIMES AWARDS 2016

WINNERS

“Our Cement Industry is Only Next to China’s” Vinita Singhania, Vice Chairperson and MD, JK Lakshmi Cement, pledges to invest more for the future as she receives the Construction Woman of the year award Your feeling on receiving the Construction Woman of the Year award?

It always feels good to be recognised and awarded for our achievements. I attribute these to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of my people; which has always helped us to take bigger challenges and do better every time. A recognition like this helps my team to set new benchmarks; new standards in performance and continuous strive to better these.

Is Indian cement market ready for the international competitors?

Today in terms of the size the cement industry in India is only next to China and we are growing faster than them. In terms of technology, product quality, and process efficiencies.

All major international players in the cement industry are already here; yet it is the domestic cement companies which have about 70 per cent share of the industry capacity as well as market.

Tell about projects that will be seen soon?

In the coming year and also for next a few years our focus shall be on consolidation and achieving higher performance from our assets. We are already very close to the annual cement capacity of 15 mt and will invest more in growth as and when market is ready for the same.

One of the biggest focus of government is infrastructure development, will it help industry?

In very well considered views of leading management consultants and economists, removal of infrastructure bottlenecks can add an incremental growth of 1 – 2 per cent to our GDP. Infrastructure development such as roads, rail networks, dedicated freight corridors, ports, water ways, etc. is construction intensive. Hence any investment in infrastructure project by the government has dual positive impact on the performance of cement industry.

First the projects by themselves create primary demand for cement and the incremental growth in GDP leads to better income with the people 44 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

and increased cement consumption. Though the actual performance in last two years of this government has been below the industry expectations, we are still hopeful that the focus on infrastructure development will soon translate into some concrete actions and better demand for cement.

Is there any dream project you want to perceive?

In our vision, mission, and values that we have adopted we would like to position ourselves as a preferred choice in the markets we operate, create value for all our stake holders, and be caring to our people.

One of the biggest achievements in your career till now and what difficulties you faced while achieving it?

If I were to use a single word for this then I would say winning ‘Trust’ of our people which include all our stakeholders is my biggest achievement. In this journey we have seen many ups and downs but we have not deviated from our core values and our people have remained with us. In the industry we are amongst the most preferred and trusted employers and have one of highest rate of engagement with our people. Yet we are continuously trying to better our own standards and compete with ourselves in this space.

At personal level, I was drawn into the business owing to personal circumstances and hardships I faced but my family always supported me in doing what I wanted to. My employees, my suppliers, my trade partners, my shareholders are all like extended family to me and are valuable support. I wish to thank them for taking me and this company to new heights with each passing moment of time. 

(L-T) Ramamurthy Mayavan, Ark Events & Media, Rao Narbir Singh, Anand Kumar, presented the The Life Time Achievement award won by A M Naik, group executive Chairman L&T group that was received by Shailendra N. Roy, CEO & Managing Director of L&T Power and Whole-Time Director, L& T Group

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 45

CONSTRUCTION TIMES AWARD 2016 “Circuit Twin IndoBangladesh Cross Border Interconne­ ction project. We completed this project in record 7 months, 5 months ahead of its scheduled completion time for Power Grid Corporation of India Limited. This project holds special economic significance as it is a step forward in strengthening bilateral ties between the two regions and has empowered the lives of people by providing uninterrupted power supply across the border.”

- Rajinder Gupta, Vice President South Asia T&D, KEC International.

46 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

WINNERSPEAK “It was an honour to receive ‘Construction Times’ award at the glittering ceremony. One felt elated and humbled at the same time – with the standards set higher than ever for next year.”

- Vivek Gautam, Vice President (Transmission), Tata Projects

This award signifies our diverse industry portfolio, advanced technology roadmap, prominent achievements, customer satisfaction, major customer acquisition, market perception, brand recognition, market reach, etc. It also distinguishes Kirby as one of the leading infrastructure companies in India, enhancing its visibility to current and future customers Kirby’s expertise in executing large number of projects across diverse industry verticals for wide range of applications has been one of its key attribute in winning this award.

Construction Times is one of the leading magazines giving insights on all the latest developments happening in the construction and infrastructure segments and these awards further signifies their role in the industry. We wish them good luck for all their future endeavors.

- Rajeev Shrivastava, GM – Sales, Kirby Building Systems India

“It is a great honour to be awarded by Construction Times for contribution to construction industry. We take pride in thanking Construction Times for giving us this honour as this has ensured that we are moving in the right direction.”

- Vishal Dada, CFO, Dada Earthmovers

“It does feel great and was a good feeling to receive the award for the very first time at the Bauma Conexpo.

The environment was very positive and the magnitude of the event was indeed commendable.”

- Amit Gossain, Managing Director, KONE India January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 47

CONSTRUCTION TIMES AWARD 2016

WINNERSPEAK

“I would like to thank the Construction Times magazine and the Jury for having awarded me during the BaumaConexpo 2016 show.

Equally, I would mention that the entire team at JCB Indiahas played an important role in this achievement. JCB has been in India for close to four decades and it is a great feeling to see our Customers place their trust and faith in us.”

- Vipin Sondhi, MD & CEO, JCB India

“It is a special moment for HCC to receive this prestigious award. Our philosophy of ‘Responsible Infrastructure’ and continued commitment in offering world-class quality has helped us set industry benchmarks. This award will motivate us further to deliver complex mega projects with precision and on time.”

Kranti Shanbhag , Director Ark Events & Media 48 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

- S. D. JEUR, Construction Head, Hydro, HCC

“The SREI Equipment Finance team is thankful for the award. We believe that when the efforts of the entire organization gets recognized on platforms such as yours, it is then a reflection of the teams’ persistence in delivering value to all stake holders . Such acknowledgements are also a testament of our hard work and they motivate us to work sustainably in making a difference in the industry.”

- Devendra Kumar Vyas, Chief Executive Officer, SREI equipment Finance “It was a memorable and remembrable experience to receive an achievers award in a national forum. I am so happy that the jury recognized our institute for our hardship. Award in rural area, has instilled lot of confidence. To do maximum certification was a challenge. I feel that by achieving the award, the responsibility has become more. I thank NSDC, IESC, Construction time magazine and all the promoters of the event.”

“We are very happy and honoured to receive the award for the “Best Concrete Equipment manufacturer of the year” from Construction Times. 2016 is our Silver Jubilee year. We have worked hard for the past 25 years in this Industry and we are very satisfied to receive the welldeserved award in this milestone year. We at Ajax Fiori always continue to provide the best concrete equipment solution to our customers through our wide range of products.

We take this opportunity to thank everyone associated with our successful journey., - Jagadish Bhat, CEO, Ajax Fiori Engineering (I)

- Varsha Thombare, CHAIRMAN, SBZ Institute of Technolocy

Supporting Partner SREI, TATA Steel, KYB Conmat, IESC, Ajax Fiori Engineering, Case new Holland construction Hosted by Bauma Con Expo 2016

Organised by ARK events and media

Official Business Travel Partner Orbit Corporate and Leisure Travels (I)

Print Partner Mumbai Talk

Information Centre MII Secretary

Television Partner NDTV profit

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 49

PRODUCT WATCH

BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA

Driving Forward

Larsen & Toubro and Komatsu Put up a Combined Stall Showcasing their Strengths.

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& T and Komatsu put up a combined stall showcasing their strengths and technologies in the construction and infrastructure equipment industry at Bauma Conexpo 2016 in GurgaonDelhi. The outdoor participation had a large built-up stall with a commanding display of 10 nos machines. Komatsu PC71/ PC130/ PC210/ PC350 Hydraulic Excavators and GD535 Motor Grader occupied a pride of place in the stall area. PC210 Super Long Front and PC210 Tunnel configuration were the cynosure of all eyes.

Heralding the ‘Make in India’ concept, L&T had on display L&T 1190 Soil Compactor, L&T 990HF Tandem Compactor and L&T 9020 Wheel Loader, which have been manufactured

by L&T Construction Equipment Limited indigenously. Several customers engaged in road construction and

material handling contracts evinced a keen interest in the L&T machines.

Komatsu GD535-5 Motor Grader is a new-generation machine and upgraded version of GD511, which was hitherto highly popular in the contractor segment.

The machine meets the emission norms of Bharat Stage-III and has several key features that makes the product the best-in-class for the road segment. Some of its features are – ROPS canopy with excellent visibility, large fuel filter for enhanced performance, easy to refuel

from the ground level, longer wheelbase & short turning radius, elevated battery bay to prevent dust penetration, scarifier attachment to handle hard surfaces, and dual mode transmission – lockup torque convertor(auto mode) and direct drive(manual mode).

Komatsu PC350LC-7 Hydraulic Excavator has been fitted with heavy duty under carriage that includes double flange track roller, heavy duty track link sprocket guard and travel motor guard. The machine is fitted with 242 hp engine and weighs 34,500 kg.

The PC350 machine is expected to meet the good demand for 35-ton class excavators arising in the marble and stone segment.

L&T provides the customers with post-sales activities encompassing maintenance contracts, service support and genuine parts.

All Pumped Up Ajax Fiori Unveiled the Latest Addition to its Product Range at bC India, the JSP50 Concrete Pump.

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n keeping with its commitment of delivering innovative concrete equipment solutions to its customers, Ajax Fiori unveiled the latest addition to its product range at bC India 2016. The JSP50 Concrete Pump was launched by Mr Jagadish Bhat, CEO of Ajax Fiori, on the inaugural day of the exhibition, in the presence of customers and various stakeholders.

Ajax Fiori entered the concrete pump industry in 2013, with two models, the JSP 40 and the JSP 70 with a pumping capacity of 40 cu.m/hr and 70 cu.m/hr respectively.

The newly introduced JSP 50, with a pumping capacity of upto 50 cu.m/ hr, features the robust “S” valve technology, durable components and upgrades such as Auto Lubrication, Remote control etc.

This product has been developed based on the overwhelming response to the incumbent models and incorporation of customer feedback regarding their requirements of low maintenance, costeffective solutions for high pressure concrete pumping.

Infrastructure projects across India

50 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

have witnessed an acceleration over recent months, thanks to the thrust by the Central and various state governments and increased public spending. Various projects that were earlier announced have now been awarded, and work has begun on several projects. This has led to an upsurge in demand for concrete equipment’s, and Ajax Fiori has continued to focus on providing the right machines for all concreting needs.

Ajax Fiori products are a familiar sight at various infrastructure development projects, such as roads, railways, irrigation, building construction to name a few.Today, Ajax Fiori has around 8,000 plants and machines working in every nook and corner of the country.

Ajax Fiori provides after sales support to customers and sites through a pan-India network of offices, parts warehouses and dealerships.

The Lube Men

MAN Trucks India Launched Branded Lubricants exclusively for MAN Vehicles in India.

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AN Trucks India, a 100 per cent subsidiary of MAN Truck & Bus AG, Germany, the world’s leading manufacturer of trucks and buses, and Total Oil India Private Limited (TOIPL), a subsidiary of TOTAL S.A., France, has launched MAN-branded genuine lubricants exclusively for MAN vehicles in the Indian market.

The product range designed to meet the technical specifications laid out by MAN, is a result of close collaboration and partnership between the teams of MAN and Total. The product range includes high performing engine oils, transmission and axle oils for various types of trucks manufactured by MAN Trucks India for both on road and off road applications segment.

This product range is developed by Total in close co-ordination with MAN

and they adhere to the strict standards of MAN. TOIPL will provide the prompt availability of MAN branded lubricants across the country.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Joerg Mommertz, Chairman & Managing Director, MAN Trucks India said, “We at MAN India are working with Global Partners like Total to provide complete

solutions to our Customers. MAN Trucks has been present in India for the last 10 years now and have pioneered many technologies. We have always worked extensively towards customer satisfaction and at creating a delightful experience for all MAN customers through various Aftersales products.

The partnership with Total is one such step forward in this endeavour.”

He further expressed, “Through our partnership with Total Lubricants, we at MAN Trucks are committed to providing our customers with superior quality branded lubricants, developed specially for MAN Truck Commercial Vehicles. The partnership will enable MAN Trucks customers to enhance the performance of their vehicles, and contribute to an increased service life and reduced total cost of ownership.”

Product Extravaganza With the Launch of Several Products, JCB is Transforming into a complete Infrastructure Equipment Partner.

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CB India Limited, India’s leading manufacturer of Earthmoving and Construction Equipment, unveiled seven new products at the Bauma Conexpo India 2016 at Gurugram.

In the excavators range, it launched the JCB 30Plus (3T Mini Excavator), the JCB 220LC Xtra (22T Tracked Excavator), the JCB 305LC (30T Tracked Excavator) and the JCB 370LC (37T Hydraulic Excavator).With the introduction of seven new products, JCB is transforming into a full range infrastructure equipment partner. All of these revolutionary products are aimed at maximising productivity and profitability for customers. These machines will be used in several sectors like Roads and Highways, Mining, Ports, Irrigation projects, etc., and will contribute towards building of India’s infrastructure, said Vipin Sondhi, MD

and CEO, JCB India Limited.

JCB also launched the 5.5T Wheeled Loader, the 455ZX and the 11T Soil Compactor, the VM116 at the event.

The event also saw JCB launch the new and versatile 2DX Backhoe Loader. In addition to the above, during this fourday event, JCB India exhibited its existing range of world-class Backhoe Loaders and the recently introduced Material

Handling Equipment comprising of Telehandlers, Skid Steer Loaders and Super Loaders. JCB also showcased its diesel gensets and attachment range at the event in addition to its best-in-class diesel engines, axles and gearboxes.

JCB’s Handtools, Powertools and range of consumer products also formed an impressive part of its display of products.

With internet of things becoming an important part of our daily lives, visitors had a chance to witness this technology first-hand through JCB’s Livelink, an innovative and advanced telematics technology that enables users to remotely monitor machines.

It maximises the productivity of the machines by providing real time alerts on Service, Operation and Security benefits to the machines owners.

Visitors also had a feel of virtual reality in the virtual reality room.

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 51

PRODUCT WATCH

BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA

Tires for Latest-Generation Tractors Bkt has Specifically Developed a Range of Tires for Soil Tillage Operations.

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KT has specifically developed ranges for soil tillage operations, i.e. tires designed to equip latest-generation tractors that make it possible to quickly transport very heavy loads, offering a tangible contribution to the farmer’s work and optimizing the productivity of the farm. An additional confirmation of BKT’s ability and readiness to meet the modern needs of the sector with suitable solutions that are perfectly in sync with the operators’ preferences, working side by side with them so they can grow and face everyday challenges.

Indeed, soil that is hard-packed and compacted due to the effects of wheeled equipment loses a great deal of its fertility. Yet, this is precisely the situation that farmers have to deal with. Agrimax Force, the high-end product of BKT, comes to the farmers’ rescue. This tire

is a winning combination of flexibility, efficiency and productivity, since it possesses all the ideal characteristics for equipping high-power tractors, floating gently on the soil. Availing itself of theIF technology, which has been further developed by BKT, Agrimax Force works at low inflation pressures, thus reducing

the phenomenon of soil compaction.

The tire is available in not less than thirteen different sizes.

Optimizing soil tillage for cultivation purposes is now possible thanks to Agrimax Fortis, which improves soil performance, ensuring the utmost comfort even while carrying heavy loads. Seven different sizes available.

Another range being part of this product family is Agrimax RT 855,a tire that stands apart for its driving comfort, best traction and excellent self-cleaning features, in addition to fast transfer from field to road. High load capacity and outstanding flotation on the soil complete the distinctive features of this tire, perfect for preserving crop productivity. The tire is available in forty-four different sizes.

Smart Energy Solutions Smart Grid Technologies is the Way Forward.

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MRON, announced the empanelment of its Smart Energy Management solutions with Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL). The solutions have been displayed in the Smart Grid Lab of Tata Power-DDL. Inaugurated earlier this year at New

Delhi, the lab is a pioneering initiative to contribute towards implementing latest smart grid technologies for power distribution utilities and has hands-on demonstration of many technologies of key organisations working in the field of grid modernization.

52 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

OMRON’s showcase at the lab endeavors to enable utilities with varied advanced solutions so that they are able to manage perennial critical issues affecting the availability and distribution of electricity across the country.

Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power-DDL said, “India is at the threshold of dynamic growth in the deployment of smart grid technology and integration of renewable energy projects. At this juncture, our partnership with Omron will play a critical role in developing world class Smart Energy Management solutions including Smart Meters and related back end infrastructure. This association will lead to seamless demonstration and speedier implementation of various convergence technologies in the field of power distribution and Smart Grids.”

Exavators With Durability Volvo D-Series Excavators have the Strength and Durability to take on Challenging Tasks.

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he EC250D from Volvo D-Series excavators has the strength and

durability to take on a range of challenging worksite tasks.

With faster cycle times, excellent digging and lifting capabilities, and a capacity for greater productivity, the unit has what it takes to get the job done in a low-stress, high-performance way every time.

Increased power and digging force as well as faster cycle times offer operators the prospect of greater productivity. The excavator is equipped with a powerful

six -cylinder diesel engine, rated at 138 kW (188 hp). Volvo’s unique integrated work mode system now includes G4 mode for optimum fuel efficiency and machine performance. Operators can choose from a selection of five work modes — idle, fine, general, heavy and power max mode — to suit the task at hand.

The ability to adapt to the worksite allows for more precise performance, but also promotes a more efficient use of fuel. Volvo’s unique ECO mode contributes to up to 5% of the machine’s total improved fuel efficiency – without any loss of performance in most operating conditions. The design features electronic pump control technology which reduces flow and pressure losses while maintaining digging power.

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 53

EVENT REPORT

BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA

Showing off the Equipment !

With over 31,000 visitors and 647 exhibitors from 30 countries, the event was easily the greatest construction equipment show in the world.

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usiness transactions, highquality trade visitors and more participants than in 2014: BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA, which took place at HUDA Ground in Gurgaon/ Delhi from December 12 to 15, 2016, underscored the fact that there are signs of a turnaround in the Indian market for

construction machinery.

More than 31,000 participants and 647 exhibitors—of which 57 percent were international companies—from 30 countries came to the fourth international trade fair for construction machinery,

54 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

building material machines, mining machines and construction vehicles, which occupied a total of 150,000 square meters of space.

Igor Palka, CEO of bC Expo India, a joint venture of Messe München and the

For us as the organiser, this feedback is more than gratifying and confirms that BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA is perceived as an important platform by the market.”

That was also reflected by exhibiting companies. Vipin Sondhi, Managing Director & CEO at JCB, said he was “pleased to be participating in BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA 2016. The exhibition

Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), is pleased that “positive developments in the Indian market were noticeable at BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA 2016. Exhibitors made some very good contacts and in some cases reported having sold machines directly at the fair.

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 55

EVENT REPORT

BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA

is a good opportunity for us to showcase the latest in the earthmoving and construction equipment sector. We have had a very positive response from customers.”

Larson & Toubro reported a similarly encouraging experience. According to Arvind K. Garg, Executive Vice President & Head-Construction & Mining Machinery Business: “BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA was an ideal opportunity for us to launch Komatsu’s new products and showcase our product offerings, besides giving us an important platform for interacting with a large number of customers and other industry participants.”

V.G. Shakthi Kumar, Managing Director at Schwing Stetter, added: “BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA has turned out to be a great success for Schwing Stetter.

Despite the demonetization situation, all our customers visited our booth to experience our new range of equipment.”

BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA was also the place to be when it came to making 56 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

showcase our products’ new models.”

For many exhibitors, participating in BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA has become indispensible, and not just because of the economic recovery. Johann Sailer, CEO at GEDA Dechentreiter, explained, “Demand is there, companies are investing again, and although the situation in India’s building construction sector remains somewhat difficult, it was very important to participate in BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA.” business transactions directly at the exhibition, as Wu Song, Managing Director of Liugong confirmed: “The success of BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA is a reflection of the overall upturn and positive outlook for the Indian construction market. We also sold several machines at the booth.” Abhijit Padhye, President, Sales & Marketing/Marketing Manager at Linnhoff, agreed completely: “We are very happy and satisfied with our participation in BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA, and we have also reached our goals, as we have sold two plants from here,” he said.

For many exhibitors, the timing of BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA could not have been better, an opinion shared by Andy Dhanarai, Director, Sales at Caterpillar. He said, “BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA is very important for us. It is a good platform for exhibiting products, especially now, when so many things are happening. It is an absolute quality show.” And Ramesh Paligiri, Managing Director & CEO at Wirtgen, confirmed that this year’s “BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA came at the right time of year for us. With all the investments coming, it is the right time for us to

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 57

EVENT REPORT: BAUMA

“2017 Will be a Better Year for Sure” MB Crusher has plans for new launches. Sibasish Mohapatra, MD, MB Crusher, reveals all and shares his insights on the industry.

What are the new launches we can expect to see from MB Crushers and what plans for 2017?

MB has been a pioneer in designing and supplying pressure bucket and straining bucket which is a very innovative solution for various small to medium road contractors, quarry owners and demolition contractors.

To cater to their further needs, in the second half of 2017 we will be launching the drum cutter in India. This has only been launched in Europe but here in India we will be introducing in the second half of 2017.

How do you see the market?

We don’t find any negative impact of demonetisation, we still find people come to our stall on the second day, and third day has been very good for us. Infact we are going to close some of our orders as well. So for our kind of products we find there is definitely a need for the customers. We find the market is quite good.

With the infrastructure segment also growing, will there be more space for equipment manufacturers?

Definitely, infact we feel that for the initial three to five years we will be growing more than 40-50 per cent yearon-year.

Year 2017 seems to be better compared to the earlier years?

Absolutely, Customers have also accepted more range of our products, as we have expanded our offering from a mini excavator to a 75 ton

class excavator. Earlier people were only discussing about buying our 20 ton class excavators but now we find people showing interest even for higher excavator as well as the smaller size excavator based on their needs. So the market is accepting other models of the rusher bucket as well as the straining bucket.

With so much happening, do you see a bigger market for excavators?

Ofcourse a lot of road projects are coming up; a lot of highway projects are coming up; a lot of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMJSY) projects are coming up. So, definitely there is a huge market for the excavator plus the

58 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

attachments for that.

With the government also planning to come up with roads where there were no roads earlier like the Himalayan terrains or the North-East. Do you feel the equipment market in general will have a good growth in India and are we well equipped to manage this?

If you look at it there are lot of places like Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim or the North-East territory, earlier the road connectivity was noy upto the mark. So there are a lot of small roads projects which have been announced by PMJSY and the state PWD. These are the kind of customers who are looking for MB Crusher bucket as a solution for

providing them the material for building the road because stone is available there at the site. They just need to crush it.

Earlier they did not have a solution to crush it at the site itself. They had to ferry it from a nearby quarry, which is probably 60 to 80 kms from the site and in such places you cannot travel for more than 10 kms in one hour. So the leap time was very high, transportation cost was very high and the vehicle maintenance cost was very high.

Some of our customers have said that the material cost is less than the transportation cost. It is that expensive.

We find a lot of opportunities in these territories compared to the plain land.

With new launches, what about safety issues? We are talking of new mechanization but are Indian contractors ready and does the labour force have adequate training?

If you look at the Indian excavator operators, generally they are not very educated. We have a policy that while commissioning the machine we train the operator for a minimum of four to eight hours in front of us where we allow him the freedom to operate the machine till we have confidence.

After that again after one week and again after 30 days we come to the site and check if the operator is operating the machine as per our recommendation.

Sometimes we find that the operator who is trained during commissioning is not operating the machine but some other person is using it, so we have to train them as well.

This is important because the machine is as good or as bad as the operator. So the operator needs to be trained. We provide free of cost training to the operators multiple times in a year.

I think that will happen in India for some more years, It will still continue to happen because we still don’t have any structured system of generating educated operators. Today’s helper becomes tomorrow’s operator. This is happening in Mumbai infact and they are operating a lot of sophisticated machines without understanding the safety needs.

Would you say safety is the last thing on people’s minds in India?

That is because people consider safety as a cost whereas safety should be a mandatory part of any infrastructure project.

How do you see GST impacting you?

Some players are saying that we are positive and some players are saying that they are skeptical about what is happening. No one knows whether it will actually increase the cost or reduce the cost because no one knows what is going to be the taxation. But what is important is that everyone will have a level playing field. Today we setup manufacturing plants depending on the taxation in that particular state which will not be there. It will be a level playing field for all the manufacturers.

Additionally, in terms of logistics when we transport the equipment from one place to another, we have to go through road permits and other forms and taxation, each state has its entry tax rules, own CST, octroi. All these things will be eliminated. So probably the logistics cost will come down to that extent, the transit period will come down. So overall I feel it will be beneficial for the industry.

Your thoughts on demonitisation and its impact on the industry?

The organised sector was not much affected. We have a lot of unorganised sector also when it comes to equipment manufacturing.

If you look at the construction industry, there is a some percentage of retail customers who do business in terms of cash transactions or to a large extent they do cash transactions.

That kind of customer base will get filtered out. So what will happen is that the real customers who will know how to execute their projects, who are technically capable and who have equipment and who are definitely ethical in their business. So those kinds of customers will definitely survive this demonetization impact. People who are not ethical they may not survive or they may take some time to come into the market.

Leasing is gradually coming up in India. Slowly but steadily, people are now going in for this. How do you see this market evolving?

There is a market for the leasing part of it but today if you look at it people are more to do with the dry leasing rather than the wet leasing. When you say wet leasing it includes the entire expense of diesel, spares maintenance and everything.

Indian market is yet to accept the Wet leasing model. Dry leasing is also in a very nascent stage today. The potential is still not exploited.

Will it come up in the coming years?

I don’t think it will grow in the next two-three years’ time. 

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 59

EVENT REPORT: BAUMA

“Time and Cost Overruns will Reduce” The Indian heavy machinery market is moving towards reducing time and cost overruns. One of the main reason, is increasing mechanisation and less manpower, says Shib Bhowmik - Country Head & MD, Joy Global India How has the Indian market changed in the past few years and what trends do you see for future?

The Indian heavy machinery market is moving towards mechanization.

One of the main reasons for this is increase in time bound projects and, two manpower issue. The new projects released are time specific, you cannot extend the tenure of the projects and that is why customers are looking for mechanisation. Earlier the talking point would be pricing, but now they are asking how much time will this take. So the market is moving to the advanced technologies.

The other issue is that sometimes with new machines, the warranty gets void and the customers are struggling.

In such situation we see opportunity for the attachment segment. The attachment market has actually grown even though the machine market was stagnant, in 2014-15. I feel it grew by around 20-30 percent growth during 2014-15.

What has also changed is the Indian customers knowledge about machines?

Earlier we used to explain to them what exactly a machine can do and what it is, but now if you go to the customer they know all about your machine. They have a comparison ready with them.

The new generation which is taking over some of these businesses are also tech-savvy. They travel a lot and find out about new trends. This is a positive

move. Over a period, maybe in another 10 years or so we can expect equipment market in India in the range of Europe and US. How much do you expect the market heavy machinery to grow?

One can expect 20-25 percent growth and definitely this will grow accordingly as the market size. For instance, we had struggled with selling back-hole loader. Whereas during the downturn customer, we explained to the customer to use attachments and once they found it easy they started using it.

With the infrastructure spend growing, what will be the impact on the industry?

Earlier, several projects were stuck due to short of funds. However, now with a stable government at the Centre,

60 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

a lot of delayed projects are now started to get implemented. Other than that I believe that by January the Government is targeting development of 30 kms per day, which they may achieve, this will give a huge impetus to the industry.

Even your volumes will increase?

Definitely. If you see any infrastructure project, the initial stage will be covered through the attachments, because the initial stages constitute of land breaking, rock breaking, rock blasting and if it’s a tunnel then they have to drill a hole and then blast it.

With the new attachment which is the toughest challenge that you are facing?

The rock breaker market is wide open but again the price is tough competition. Challenge in this space is

the Chinese and the Korean players who sell inexpensive, low qulaity products.

But as a reputed company we can’t compromise on quality and service.

money payments have got stuck that’s the only reason some delays are happening. It’s a downfall now for twothree month’s maximum.

quarter of 2017 we will become a part of Komatsu. That will also help us to come back in full swing because Komatsu is a well-known brand.

What has been the impact of demonetization?

My industry is mainly construction equipment industry. As it grows I am also growing. But yes, we do expect to see a small impact of demonitisation.

For machine purchase you never do the entire transaction in cash. Everything is funding. However, certain advance

How do you see growth over the next few months?

We are growing, but again as I said we are just reviving back , so there will be some hiccups but we will be up and running soon. We also became part of Komatsu as well. Joy Global got acquired

by Komatsu and our acquisition process is going on and probably by the first

For Joy Global who will be the toughest competitor?

We had earlier Buzarsih which was taken over by Caterpillar. So Caterpillar is the main competitor for us.

Now-a- days a few Chinese players are also coming in but they can’t compete on quality, because mining is a precision industry, there you need precision equipment and lifelong equipment.

We have a strong presence in the coal mining sector. We enjoy big market share in that segment. In the year to come we will have a strong presence.

North-Eastern region is also coming out with infrastructure projects, do you think there is opportunity for the attachment equipment?

Definitely, because there is a huge demand for cabling projects and tunnels. Infact we recently received an order for a customer who had a tunneling project, which has to be completed it in two years because they have a set period. 

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 61

EVENT REPORT: BAUMA

“We are here to Help Customers” V G Sakthikumar, MD, Schwing Stetter, talks about the focus of the company in India, new product launches and how some of the recent government initiatives is impacting the industry.

The government of India has a huge focus on infrastructure development, what has been the impact on the machinery segment?

We hope the trend in 2016 will continue. There could be some hiccups but the overall outlook is very, positive and whatever are the forces that are driving this infrastructure growth and also equipment growth will get further strengthened with additional forces coming out of other industries like development in the energy sector, railways and the real estate.

When I say energy I mean all sorts of power projects like hydro power, thermal power, nuclear power, wind power, solar power, everything is on the anvil and I think they will start flowing. The government appears to be taking charge of many things including the funding.

What will be the impact of GST on your industry segment?

GST will be a positive move, the only thing I am worried about is how the transition will be handled, that clarity is not there. For example, I make some machinery in December and I keep it in stock. Then what happens to it, if GST gets implemented and I still have this old machine unsold, I will be having a more expensive old machine than the more competitive new machine.

So if this clarity comes out then all the transition will be handled.

The Modi government is talking about big spends in the infrastructure space.

What opportunities do you see ahead?

We have seen a positive growth in the Indian market for sometime now.

Rather we will be clocking the best turnover for our company since the

62 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

time we began our operations in India.

And we are confident that we will outperform this next year as well.

The last time we saw such growth trajectories was in 2011, after that we had flat growth for three year’s business. So this year will be good. We have precisely 20 days to go. We have a January to December financial year, so we are expecting to have a very good turnover.

The other big focus of the government has been mining. How do you think this will impact your company and the industry in general?

We hardly had any direct product for the mining sector so far, but with some of the new products that we have launched now will have applications in mining like loaders and motor graders and maybe in the future excavators also.

We do not see an immediate business opportunity in the mining segment but in future we surely are planning to have some presence.

Leasing of machinery is also coming up in India, do you see this as a new market?

The biggest problem for leasing in India is that the contractors are all pan India and any company which is having the capability to run their operations across India can go in for leasing.

At the job site level, the capacity to maintain the machine is the biggest challenge. So financially there are many companies who are sound enough to offer solutions for leasing but how will they manage remote sites needs to be watched. India has got different types of terrain and cultural issues. So it is not going to be very easy.

The government has announced development of highways in the NorthEast and the Himalayan terrain, these will have different challenges, are you planning to participate in these projects?

We are already there, for example in the North-Eastern areas there are still some issues over the acquisition of land and awarding of contracts. We think

these areas will contribute to growth in 2017-18.

Because of the terrain issue the machine requirement could be slightly different from what we are supplying in other parts of India. We are prepared and we are already there. We have a strong service network there. So that is not an issue.

What will be your focus area?

Our focus will be on all those areas where customers are feeling challenged or handicapped for not having the right type of machines. Our focus will also be determined basis the government policies that will come and the actual implementations happening in those policies.

For example, we are now focusing on certain technology which are not being sought after by our customers or is still not part of their strategy but we have already started showcasing them, this will allow them to understand where the market is heading in future.

Some of these include water management solutions, which involves recycling of water. We have already put two machines in India.

In the rural areas there have been talks of developing highways but these regions need different kind of machinery. We have equipment like the

SLMO machine, a self-loading mixture which is the first stage mechanization for many of the contractors for manufacturing concrete at site.

These are the machines which are required for construction of rural roads, Gram Panchayats buildings or even transmission towers in remote corners, canal liming etc. We have entered this field and we are hopeful that we will soon become a major player in this too.

We will also be increasing our capacity for manufacturing these machines.

How much do you expect the volume to increase next year?

This year our growth is more than 20 per cent. We will be happy if it is anything more than that.

Any new specific machines that you are planning to launch here?

We have launched 14 new machines in Bauma ConExpo. These machines cater to different segments like small contractors, ready-mix and road contractors, high-rise construction, water management, mining, drilling etc.

Other than machines we also showcased the training area, and simulator training so that individuals working on these machines know what they are dealing with. ď Ž

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 63

EVENT REPORT: BAUMA

“We Have the Best Cranes in The World” Anil Bhatia, Vice President- Sales and Marketing, Material Handling Solutions, TIL India.

Is there a increase in equipment market?

In the last two three months we have seen a lot of customers buying new cranes , customers are shifting to buying .I will say that the second quarter of the next year or first quarter of next fiscal will be very good as ONGC is hiring contracts, 140 odd cranes will be for the same. As well as we will see a lot of new equipment purchases happening in the oil and gas sector also, over all I would say from the cranes point of view the market was improving and we see a very high growth in the coming year, the demand will increase.

Any launches done in Bauma ConExpo?

We launched a new generation 80 ton crane that is brought into market taking into demand more the Middle East and Africa as well as Indian markets.

With the government making new announcements in infrastructure, do you feel that there will be more demand in the cranes sector also?

Actually we are just refurbished our cranes range, we have come up with truck cranes in which we have 90 percent of the market share.

We are going in for a complete makeover of this range. We had launched a 25 ton, 50 ton and now a 80 ton crane. In the next few months we are planning to come up with more new cranes that we will announce later. With that the complete range will be modernised with the terms with requirements of market.

Your views on GST? For us it will be much more beneficial. The moment of cranes from one state to other state had a lot of entry taxes which will be waived off as well

as certain states had a very high VAT which will eventually be . It is going to have a positive impact on the market as double taxation will not be done.

What will be the impact of demonetisation?

It is a good thing as lot of , fater this also a customers are enquiring about the new products, the market is going good because of this, there is a positive impact on the cranes market.

North-East roads are been talked about a lot o built the roads there, different kind of machinery is required, are we ready for this type of roads to be developed?

We are having a large share in the cranes market that can be used in developing these roads, these cranes we are exporting also; we have the best cranes in the world. Rural roads need small cranes which will be for pick and drop which is again a huge market, rural roads cranes will be needed less as mainly cranes are used for bridges and as far as cranes are considered in India customers are having a lot of options today. We have the safest cranes and the technology is also there that is needed.

What are you looking forward?

We are looking forward to the project of Mumbai- Ahemadabad where new technology will be used and as per the cranes are concern we are well equipped with the latest technology. 

64 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

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FOCUS

REAL ESTATE

On Solid Ground The foundations are being laid. The realty sector is set for a makeover.

R

eal estate developers are readying themselves to face a new reality in the New Year. And the year just gone has been nothing short of tumultuous for the sector with some big moves made by the government.

Some of the key announcements were the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, or Housing for All by 2022 scheme, amendment to the Benami Transactions Act, exemption of service tax for affordable housing construction (announced in the Union Budget 2016), change in arbitration norms for construction companies and the really big one - the passage of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority Bill (RERA).

The Housing for All scheme aims at providing affordable housing to all sections of society by 2022 and under this, an interest subsidy of 6.5 per cent is offered by the government for home loans of up to Rs 6 lakh for those from economically weaker sections (EWS) and low income group (LIG) families.

As for RERA, this year, various states will finalise and set up a regulator for the sector. Developers are expected to focus more on deliveries than new launches to reduce inventory levels.

Bijay Agarwal, MD, Salarpuria Sattva Group, says, “There will be a slowdown in new launches due to some regulatory changes but this will eventually increase the demand in ready-to-occupy homes as the overall inventory will go down.

We also see a reduction in home loan rates which will in turn boost residential sales.”

However, developers maintain that the policy changes during 2016 will

help the sector more than harm their business. Some developers even insist the policy changes have been favourable for them and home-buyers alike. “The year 2017 can prove to be a profitable year for both developers as well as consumers, with the introduction of RERA, which will result in greater transparency in transactions,” says Rahul Shah, CEO, Sumer Group.

Adds Rohit Gera, MD, Gera Developments, “Looking forward, with the elimination of black money from the industry that is likely to happen, as well as the implementation of RERA, a large number of fly-by-night operators will be forced to flee the sector, leaving the industry in the hands of professional

66 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

developers with a long-term vision and clear customer focus. This will ultimately be in the interest of the home buyer in the medium to long term.”

The year began on a promising enough note as compared to 2015. In the first six months, according to Knight Frank India, the residential property market witnessed improved sales.

Barring Delhi-NCR, other markets did well in the first half of this year compared to previous years. Mumbai and Bangalore led the way. However, things turned sour pretty soon. The industry faced headwinds in terms of slow sales which was then followed by a reduction in project launches. Interest rates that were expected to come down

stayed stubbornly high. The last nail in the coffin, as it were, was the move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes as legal tender. This move created a dent, pulling back the last quarter trend of residential sales substantially

demonetisation towards the fag end of 2016, this hit the sector, which mostly deals in cash transactions, pretty hard.

“The last quarter, which is generally the booming period for real estate, took a big hit. With the economy in a standstill,

those) will be able to take a positive call soon, in turn boosting sales. Since the demonetisation drive, wild predictions of price falls have led customers to defer their home purchase decisions, say developers. In another three to four

across cities. Consequently, sales fell to a historical low. “2016 will go down as a watershed year in the history of Indian real estate,” says Shishir Baijal, Chairman, Knight Frank India. “A major factor for this can be attributed to the policy developments initiated by the ruling government, which, in the short term, have led to an unpredictable disruption, but in the long run, are expected to augur well for the industry,” he adds.

A turbulent year for the sector, 2016 was also the year of fervent consumer activism. In fact, says Gera, “It was a year when judicial intervention for non delivery by developers was at its highest.”

Along with the high value currency

luxury real estate faced the biggest setback along with other segments as well,” says Mudhit Gupta, CMD, Emgee Group.

“Even as the inventory overhang reduces, the three biggest markets in terms of volumes of unsold units (including under-construction) are NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore. By volume, NCR stands at 37 per cent, which is more than a third of India’s unsold (including under-construction) residential inventory,” says Anuj Puri Chairman and Country Head, JLL India.

Even so, with the impending legislation and the changes that are expected as a result, those sitting on the fence (and there are a vast majority of

months, they expect the issues resulting from demonetisation to settle. With the Union Budget also in place by then, there is hope of greater clarity on where the sector could be headed. The reforms undertaken will separate the men from the boys.

More so, with the impending introduction of real estate investment trusts (REITs). However, REITs are yet to launch and industry experts say it could be another year before the first one does launch. “India’s first REIT listing could happen within the next one year,” says Puri. “Rules for REITs were relaxed, and the investment cap in under-construction projects was raised from 10 per cent to 20 per cent” he adds.

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 67

FOCUS

REAL ESTATE

Indeed, all of this may soon begin to usher in much needed transparency in the sector, a positive sentiment from foreign investors and last but not least, confidence from home buyers and investors.

Developers across the spectrum are pinning their hopes high. “People are getting attracted towards luxurious living and hence this segment will show great growth. We are looking forward to 2017,” says Shah of Sumer Group.

And according to Shantilal Kataria, President, CREDAI Pune Metro, “2017 will be the year of affordable housing.”

Agarwal of the Salarpuria Sattva Group is betting on a turnaround in the budget and mid-range homes segment, as is Gupta. “The affordable housing segment will be the best segment in the real estate sector, especially with the mandate from the PM with the Housing for All scheme,” he says. Atul Goel, MD, Goel Ganga Developers, concurs. He says, “Due to the demonetisation, banks will be flooded with funds which will be routed to the priority segment of

growth. I think it will be first deployed for infrastructure development projects, and then to housing finance, which will big boost real estate. There will be an increase in affordable housing.”

However, they may have to wait, at least until the Budget. In the first half of the year, the residential sector may stay largely muted with a downward pressure on prices. As consumers wait and watch, demand could remain subdued ahead of the Budget with buyers expecting a reduction in property prices along with a substantial lowering of home loan interest rates. Expectation of tax benefits could be another factor holding back demand for property in the initial quarters of 2017.

Interestingly, the office market continued to do well in 2016 and the overall transaction volume by the year end was about at par with the transactions seen in 2015. Clearly, the office market could be challenged to maintain the prevailing pace of growth.

Perhaps, sooner rather than later, interest from top real estate funds may

68 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

also return for the Indian real estate sector. Given how vintage funds that put money to work between 2005 and 2008 burnt their fingers, investors have turned risk averse. Thus far, 2016 saw some action with large players like Blackstone, CPPIB, GIC, QIA and APG investing large sums in income generating assets. They also seemed equally keen to forge direct partnerships with developers. However, industry experts said that most limited partners were still watching from the sidelines.

Nonetheless, with so much happening, it may not be out of place to say the foundations for strong real estate are pretty much being laid. With the government’s mission mode projects such as Smart Cities and Digital India, these are also expected to provide a boost to the sector. Pune is probably already on its way to becoming India’s first digital city. “Acche din” is looking likely, sooner rather than later, at least for real estate. 

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BY INVITATION

CONSTRUCTION DESIGN

The Aesthetics of it All Aesthetics in Infrastructure must take into account both important aspects, the exterior and interior part. Examples are many in India to prove historically that aesthetics in infrastructure was given importance as much as functionality and stability, says Veena Arunkumar, Interior Designer & Managing Director, Chairman, IIID Thane Regional Chapter

A

ny city in the world we live today is recognized by the iconic structures, historical monuments. Once upon a time these were a part of the infrastructure and some of them also being used today like bridges, town hall, Parliament building, libraries, hospitals etc. They are remembered for their aesthetic beauty, design and functionality.

Every city has its own culture. Town planners must consider to reflect this culture in the infrastructure they are planning and executing. This will bring a sense of pride and ownership due to its visibility among the local residents.

Even though a well engineered concrete structure will serve the purpose but

adding aesthetics in design both Exterior and Interior will bring the vibrance in the heart of the people around using it and those visiting the city take home memories of visiting such monuments.

Aesthetics in Infrastructure must take into account both important aspects, the exterior and interior part.

Both should be complementing each other at the same time the functionality, stability and safety of the project should not be compromised.

In other words “What pleases your eyes externally is not enough�. The interiors should also be astatically beautiful and functional. The potential for aesthetics in infrastructure to please

70 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

the eye and uplift the soul along with functionality is not lacking in historical precedent. Some of the world heritage monuments remain, though which served as essential infrastructure. The list of such examples are many in India to prove historically that aesthetics in infrastructure was given importance as much as functionality and stability.

Take for eg., the beautifully carved step wells of Gujarat, Rani ki Vav and Adlej step well.

They are fine examples of aesthetics and functionality. They are exceptional examples of subterranean water management system. They not only impress you with their architectural

structure and technological achievements in sourcing the water but also with its beautiful carvings and sculptures.

There are many modern day examples of aesthetics , functionality and safety . Our newly designed airports are one of them. Until recently airports in India were nothing to write home about. There have been have some wonderful development and new facilities developed under public private partnership rightfully boast of world class standards. The newly designed T2 and T3 Terminals are the best examples of aesthetics in infrastructure along with functionality and safety. Here the design, aesthetics and best possible amenities complement each other beautifully.

Asthetic Design in Hospitals We are also seeing a sea change in health care facilities. Aesthetics plays a very important role in health care facilities. It is also called the healing architecture. The new trend in hospital design is to improve the building aesthetics for patient’s well being.

Incorporating natural lighting , soothing colours, beautiful artwork , updated furniture in the designing of the hospital is directly related to fast recovery of the patients admitted.

Asthetic Desgin in Railways.

With one of the worlds largest railway network . The Indian Railways initiative to bring more asthetics in its new coaches with plush interiors, enhanced safety , speed and astechically

designed colour patterna, Indian trains are set for a makeover. The coaches have been designed with improved interior furnishings to appeal passengers of all age groups.

The Borivali and Khar stations in Mumbai have got a brilliant makeover – from the staircases and walls to overhead bridges and ticket windows, everything is covered in vibrant colours. There are paintings of animals, trees, soldiers, and so much more, giving a very cheerful aura to the otherwise gloomy looking stations. It has all been done by about 500 volunteers of the NGO, Making a Difference (MAD) Foundation. This shows how important astechtics play a role in changing the ambience from a dull railway station to a more young and

vibrant place.

Aesthetic Design in Oil & Gas installations There are also infrastructure projects where aesthetics does not play a important role but safety and functionality is the key.

In infrastructure projects like onshore refineries and petrochemical complexes, aesthetics in design does not play a primary role. The design is governed primarily by functionality and safety of the system. The layout of the system facility is designed such that it is safe and easy to operate and maintain.

Ease of future expansion is also kept in mind while designing the layout.

The system is designed to ensure that the release of gases like CO2 that impact the environment is minimized.

Certain sections of the surrounding areas are converted into green belts to compensate for the green-house gases that will inevitably be released from the facility.

To sum up my views, the architects, engineers and designers should also keep in mind that the infrastructure they are creating should be monumental that lasts for centuries and give pride for generations to come and speak about it as a masterpiece. ď Ž

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 71

INSIGHT

URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

Towards Sustainable Urban Transport

Non-motorised transport is an integral element of urban transport.

A

sustainable transport system must meet the mobility andaccessibility needs of people by providing safe and environmental friendly modes of transportation. This is a complex and difficult task in the mega-cities of developing countries. Because the needs of people belonging to various in come groups are not only different, but also often conflicting in nature.

It is a fact that a large section of the population cannot afford to use motorised transport – private vehicles, public buses or Metro particularly in rural areas aseithertheyhave to walk to their place of work or use bicycles.

Providing a safe infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians means either physically segregating road space for cyclists and pedestrians from motorized traffic, or, if it is not possible,reducing the speed of motorized traffic. Both measures implyrestricting the mobility of car users to ensure the mobility of bicycle users.

There will always be a large gap between rural and urban transportation needs

of people, may be due to inadequate infrastructure transport oriented demand.

It is evident that the pedestrians, cyclists andnon-motorised transport are the most critical elements in mixedtraffic in urban environment, where as in a metro or mega cities, the situation is totally different and mostly people will have to manage the mobility needs through mass transportation due to delays, congestion, accidents etc, though the last mile connectivity is very crucial.

For longer commuting distances in urban areas, mass transportation with seam-less flow will be the best preferred mode of transport. This also results in the improved efficiency of publictransport vehicles and an enhanced capacity of the transportcorridor when measured in number of passengers per hour perlane.

Non-motorised transport is an integral element of urban transport which is neglectedin the Indian cities and the transport and land-use patterns found in South Asian citiesare different

72 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

from those in the West. High population densities, intensely mixed land use, short trip distances andhigh proportions of pedestrians and non-motorised transport characterizethese urban centers.

An Urban transport and land use plansin most of the metropolitan cities in India prepared masterplans in 1960s.

Included in these were the following: (a) Demographic projections and decisions on the levels atwhich the population should be contained; (b) Allocation of population to various zones, depending onexisting population density level, infrastructure capacity andfuture density levels; (c) Land-use zoning to achieve the desired allocation ofprojected population and activities in various zones asprojected; (d) Large-scale acquisition of land with a view to ensuringplanned development.

The planning framework usually

adopted in the preparation ofmaster plans was completely divorced from resource assessment. The process also did not include any procedures for involving the communityand bringing about consensus on contentious issues.

The net effect ofthe inadequacies of the planning process was that due to most haphazard urban growth which took placewithout formal planning. Informal residential and businesspremises and developments increasingly dominated new urban areas.

In any master plan, it is essential tointegrate land-use and transportation planning, to minimize average trip lengths to propose commercial activitiestoaccommodate shopping, commercial office and recreational needs of the population, so that toinclude district centers designed to serve as focal pointsfor multi-nodal activities of the community. Land prices have contributed significantly to the growth of mixed land-use patterns and higher population densities. In the past decade, alarge number of single-family dwelling units have been converted tomultistoreyapartment buildings. Commercial and institutionalorganizations have rented or bought space by outbidding the residentialoccupants. Mixed landuse patterns have successfully curbed the numberand length of non-work-related trips by motorized modes of transport.

Captive Ridership The share of bicycle trips as a proportion of total trips hasdeclined over the years. However, a large number of commuters arestill using bicycles and other non-motorized modes of transport in spite of long trip lengths.

Increasing numbers of the poor continue to live without servicesin slums and unauthorized colonies& many lives in sub-standardhousing. In large cities, more than 60 per cent of peopleare employed in informal sector. For this population walking and cyclingto work are the only modes of transport available.

A sustainabletransport system must cater for this captive ridership of nonmotorizedtransport users in the cities of the south.

Traffic and travel characteristics In our cities,heterogeneous traffic (a mix ofnon-motorized and motorised modes of transport) and mixed landusepatterns are very common. Car ownership rates arelow but picking up steadily due to increased per capita and earnings.The numbers of motorized two and three-wheelers make up more than 75 % of all motor vehicles and is expected to growmost rapidly in the absence of an effective and efficient public transportation in Indian cities.

Parking Issues And Challenges It is the burning issue in the road transportation sector in almost all cities, not only of India, but most parts of the Globe. Spending a huge cost for the road development infrastructure and making it idle & just allowing road space for parking, not only reduces the capacity but also hinders the seamless flow of traffic. Most of the successful corporations and road development authorities, does not seems to solve this issue by removing the parking out of the road, but are looking for providing them the facility for parking at cost.

Though Indian is a developing country and leaping towards a smart initiative, it is very essential to see that, in an urban environment, road side parking must be discontinued and establish other space exclusively for parking, so that the road space is made available for the moving

traffic. In this direction, there is a short fall of adequate space for parking in spite of the law says that every activity center shall have their own adequate parking places. Due to this gap and inadequate enforcement, road side parking becomes a necessity at free of cost. Off late, the successive corporations have started charging to make it legalized. Though it is a wrong move, but there is no other option or nearby space available for parking. One classic example is “Connaught Place� in Delhi have underground parking place for the entire area below the public park. Looking from the upside down of this, below the available parks, without sacrificing the trees and green, underground parking can be made available in all residential areas on payment basis.

To summarise, it is emphasised that parking shall not be provided on the road as roads are meant for vehicular movement.

Other Modes of Transportation Buses are the principal means of transport in most cities having low income and heavily dependent on buses.

Walking and non-motorised modes of travel are less significant inmiddle-income cities and bus use predominates.Trips by public transport and privatetransport in high-income countriesdiffer from those in low- and middle-income countries in the use

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 73

INSIGHT

URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

of mass rapid transit and commuter rail systems. Throughout the country, busesare the backbone of urban public transport services. However, overcrowding, the increased incidence of break downs and poor service frequency have resulted in a decline in general levels of service and comfort.

Economic growth, urbanization and population trends in our cities indicate that the urban population will have todepend heavily upon public transport for their travel needs, unlike peopleof European cities, who are heavily dependent on private transport. Public transport system is the only option which is economically and financially viable.

Essential for Sustainable Transport Systems A sustainable transport system must provide mobility and accessibility to all urban residents with safe and environmentally friendlymodes of transport. For example, if a large section of the populationcannot afford to use motorized transport – either private vehicles orpublic buses – they either have to walk or cycle to their place of work.

Pedestrians, cyclists and nonmotorized rickshaws are the mostcritical elements in mixed traffic. If the infrastructure design does notmeet

the requirements of these elements, all modes of transport operatein suboptimal conditions Public transport today accounts for only 22% of urban transport in India, compared with 49% in lower middle income countries (Philippines, Venezuela, Brazil).

The share of transport has been decreasing over the years due to increase in private vehicles on roads increasing delay, congestion, accidents and road rage.

The highly inadequate and poor quality of PTS in Indian cities as most of the cities are unplanned. Particularly during peak hours, there is a need to integrate various modes to connect people and increase their mobility. PTS must be planned which are more energy efficient, high carrying capacity and safe.

• Existing urban transport scenario and for integration • Modes of urban transportation • BRT and Bus system • Commuter Rail • METRO • MONO • Sky bus • Electric Trolley system • Light Rail Transit (LRT) • Operational technological innovation of transportation modes • Application of ITS for PTS integration, control and guidance

74 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

• Methods of integration for effective and efficient operation • Case studies and integration of transport to Airport • Role of IPT for integration of urban and sub urban areas • Techno – economic viability and finance • The urban planners have given more importance to solve vehicle related issues and resorted to widen the roads at the cost of pedestrian walk ways and their safety. All most all of us are pedestrians at some time or the other after parking vehicle. By looking at the number of accidents occurred for pedestrians over the years, one can feel that there is no value for human lives as almost 40 to 45% of persons killed are pedestrians in road crashes.

• With the ongoing various infrastructure projects like METRO, MONO RAIL (coming up shortly), fly overs, ROB’s, RUB’s, Power, water supply etc, almost all the roads are unsafe to commute. These projects are seen inordinate delay due to various reasons not only causing huge loss for exchequer but also public safety and convenience along with delays, congestion and increased number of accidents. Public are totally confused and find it difficult to use the right of way including footpath for their safe movement. Bangalore drivers are among the worst drivers in the world and Bangalore earned this dubious distinction.

• Though the policies of the government are towards solving these issues, but the pace it is executed mismatch the planning and execution front there by resulting traffic mismanagement and many investors are moving out of Bangalore in search of good place where traffic problems are minimum.

• Bangalore is grown over the years as a village to town, town to city, city to metro, metro to mega and as such roads are not grown in proportions to the growth of population, buildings, activities and other peripherals. At present the capacity of Bangalore roads can take not more than 10 to

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12 lakh vehicles. Hence there is an acute gap and this gap is widening rapidly. Roads cannot be widened as it affects the common man by losing their prime land. Even TDR (Transformation of Development Rights) and FAR will not work including compensation as people are totally dissatisfied.

There will be a wide gap between young and old aged drivers and each blame the other while driving. As per the records available, the accident due to car crash begins to rise after 60years and rapidly after 70 years age.

As long as older people are active in driving it is essential to ensure their quality of life rather than banning the driving as it is imminent. Hence there is a need to develop safety for walking and for mobility rather than accessibility.

According to me, now time has come to create a new Bangalore like Delhi, having a fully equipped facility and infrastructure to be in place in advance before people migrate to that place i.e., new township should have all basic amenities and facilities and constructed as people do not bother and indifferent to move out from the crowded and congested Bangalore.

In fact, infrastructure is identified as very important key factor for the development of an urban area which can be sustainable for the years to come. Many of the infrastructure developments are carried out for back days’ requirements and spending or consuming large amount of finance. Hence sustainability is the key mantra for the development and today’s planning and execution of major infrastructure projects must be able to meet the requirements for the future satisfying the objectives and goals.

Current traffic and transportation issues in Bangalore are deteriorated due to ongoing developmental infrastructure projects. Though late, we require multimodal integrated sustainable transport policy to solve the ever-growing problem in Bangalore. Metro is getting delayed,

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monorail, still it has to be executed, we are losing everyday about 65 lakh rupees due to delay. BRT may be difficult to introduce as the roads are very narrow and not more than (2+2) lanes.

Considering the one and only sustainable factor for the growth of an urban area in particular and state or country as a whole, roads, airports, railways, power, water supply and urban transport infrastructure like metro, mono, BRT etc., are a must and state government is looking forward in this direction for implementation. The challenges include like allocation of funds, mind set of politicians for the growth, their agenda and priorities, land acquisition, innovative sustainable technologies., will be taken as priority by the state government.

Since Karnataka has proposed the bill for the infrastructure development considering the growing problems that are encountered in Bangalore, tier II 2, tier III cities are focused for the development.

Bangalore is identified as one of the fastest growing cities in India, Asia as well as in the world. Hence requires immediate solutions which can be sustainable for about another 20 years. During this period, people cooperation, tolerance, patience is expected. Amounts required must be released by state as well as central government. Road pricing is one solution to solve congestion along with strict laws in DL issuance, high garage rent and parking fees, tax structure etc., can add up to reduce the vehicles on the road and effective only when mass transport system is improved to satisfactory levels.

The poor condition of roads particularly during rains, failed pavement structure, absence of safe pedestrian walkways (even if available, occupied by hawkers & vendors), congestion, delays, accident prone roads justified by poor road safety index, high percentage of air &water pollution due to unending construction of Metro & other

infrastructure facilities has resulted in frustration among people on the machinery of the Governmental agencies.

Private Public Partnership (PPP) Private Public Partnership (PPP) is most effective model presently followed throughout the world. It has more transparency in operation as well as in execution. Most of the economic and financial modes available, PPP sounds a better option because of the above reasons when the Government is unable to spend or invest for large scale projects when they have other priorities. Airport projects, road infrastructure projects, Harbor, inland water transportation and Urban transportation projects can be framed using this mode as it is more transparent in nature due to its assessment, auditability and accountability. The allocation of funding is also very important in this mode as most of the times the project duration suffer due to local conditions.

PPP largely suffers due to an effective regulatory authority either independently or monitored or supervised by the Government agency.

Many a times, if the concessionaire/ contractor do have any reasons to back out from the project require hell of a procedure and takes some time years to remove the former one and initiate new bidding process, appointment of new EPC contractor and again the other procedure to be adopted.

So, due to these reasons many of the projects suffer the most. As an example, the BMRCL constructed METRO rail, finding it difficult to handle one particular contractor in the central Bangalore area due to financial non-viability. Due to this, the project is getting delayed by an year or two. A transparency act must be in place before bidding which must be free from litigations later covering all statutory regulations.  This article is authored by Prof. Shree hari Advisor to Govt of Karnataka for Traffic, Transport & Infrastructure

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 75

URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

INTERVIEW

“We are Developing a Plan for a Mumbai Metropolitan Region Water Transport Network” The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) is preparing a comprehensive plan to put in place a water transport network for the entire Greater Mumbai metropolitan region and even beyond. Atul Patne, CEO, MMB, talks to CT about the benefits of water transport and the plans that are afoot.

What is the current progress on the roll-on/roll-off (Ro/Ro) services from Ferry Wharf to Alibaug and Ferry Wharf to Nerul?

Yes, this work is going on. As per the weather, the work will begin. Due to the rough seas in the monsoon, the work had stopped but it will resume now. We have already issued the work order.

You have been given the Mandwa Jetty for development, right?

Yes, and CIDCO has been given the Belapur one. Along with these, we have given one more letter stating that the CIDCO Ro/Ro should be included with the Belapur Jetty, as the Ro/Ro is currently only from Mandwa to Ferry Wharf. So we are making a plan for a Mumbai Metropolitan Region Water Transport Network. In the second phase, we are looking at the KalyanBhiwandi- Dombivali-Ulhasnagar area.

Those people have also come up with a plan to connect the Mahanagar Palikaas through water transport so that people can travel from one palika to another using water transport. Along with that, they can also travel frequently between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The projects which we have submitted for rural jetty and other development in Vasai Creek – which has also been declared as the National Waterway – we plan to do similar type of development here too.

The third initiative is connecting south Mumbai because anyone who wants to come to south Mumbai will not

alight at Ferry Wharf. So we are trying to connect it to Belapur. Also, we have land in Borivali which we want to develop and connect to Colaba. For this, we are looking at doing the development for NCPA and the Radio Club jetties jointly with the MbPT, since these belong to them.

Has the work started on this or is it still at the discussion stage?

We were doing it earlier but now we have decided to do it in a joint venture.

So we are in talks for that. In this way, there will be a total water network where people can travel via cruise or a a good catamaran. Either they can alight from a boat and book an Ola or Uber or they bring their cars along on the boat and make the trip across.

There does not seem to be any work

76 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

ongoing at Nerul at the moment...

We have been given the work order for that. But MbPT is still awaiting their board approval. CIDCO too will figures out the estimates after the board approval comes. So when their board meeting takes place, these approvals will come and the work will start at Nerul also.

What will be the cost there?

Their cost is more than Rs 100 crore.

MbPT has a lower cost because they don’t need breakwater, so it is something between Rs 36-38 crore. CIDCO does not have any breakwater and the access to an elevated road structure that they have proposed is quite costly. Apart from this, there is no other access. It will all take place smoothly and there are no difficulties as such. We have decided a deadline of March 2018 for all of this

and we hope it is complete by then.

What is the complete project cost?

It will exceed Rs 1000 crore.

Any more projects apart from these two that one can look forward to?

We have three types of projects; the typical financial ones like Mandwa port, the other one is for a social cause like what we launched on September 17, International Coastal Cleanup Day, the Nirmal Sagar Abhayan in which around 5 to 6 thousand people participated at different places including women, children and coast guards. When we talk about a total sanitation programme, we are talking about villages like the Nirmal Gram but when it comes to the sea, it is now with the Gram Panchayat. You can immediately contact the coast guard when it comes to keeping the sea clean and free of oil spill. Like the Nirmal Gram, therefore, we have launched the Nirmal Sagar to keep the coast free of any garbage or plastic that flows away to the sea or onto the beaches. The total sanitation programme would be incomplete with Nirmal Sagar. If we talk about Skill India, this is also connected to it because it will create employment opportunities related to tourism and ship yards. If we talk about Incredible India, places like Ganpati Phule, Ganesh Ghule and Tarkarli Beach which has been declared the most beautiful beach in the country, we have identified 78 beaches where along with the cooperation of the public, we have formed the Sagar Tak Vayasthapan Samithi at Gram Panchayat level and district level. They will decide what we have to do for the promotion of tourism.

The third is a win-win like the sanitiation programme and which is all about transportation. Earlier years, there were ships and boats traveling to Goa and other places and which have now shut down. Using coastal shipping, people in earlier times would travel from Mangalore and alight at Dharantal. I am talking of a time about 100 years ago. This is not there anymore and so, you might say that with the development of science and technology, water transportation

is the only sector in India where we have gone backward, now forward. Our plan now is to connect all the MMRDA areas of all the Mahanagar Palikas. We saw a presentation made by the third largest company in the sector from Hong Kong. They told us that for traveling from Borivali to Colaba, if a cruise with a capacity of 350 passengers is brought in and if five cruises are made every morning at every 15 minutes, it will take 1500 cars off the road at peak hours.

Even in the Railways, at times you have the mega block, maintenance downtime, etc., but in water transport, there is no such thing. It will provide the benefit of reducing traffic at peak times by transporting 1500 cars, take care of traffic congestion and pollution as well. The cruise will work during the evenings also and in between, it can be used for tourism for taking people from one place to another. We know today that the number of people traveling to south Mumbai from Belapur is quite high and most of them also travel in air conditioned facilities. Even though it is a bit hard for them, they still travel by car. If we were to start water transport, we would be able to provide them with a great alternative to switch to water transport, and that too, along with their vehicles via Ro/Ro services. Whether it is from Vasai-Virar to Thane or Colaba to Thane, this distance can be covered in 35-45 minutes, whereas the trains will take much longer than this. Through this medium, we can easily transport people from long distances in a short span of time.

We believe there is talk of cruise tourism also...

Yes, we are in talks with MbPT for their cruise terminal and we are also in talks for their small jetty which they are developing at Girgaon. Apart from Ferry Wharf and the jetty which is here, based on this, whatever development will take place in water transport, we would like to join that with cruise tourism also. We have received a proposal to start a tour from Ferry Wharf going towards Jaigadh and Dighi. This will be the beginning in Maharashtra. From there, Goa is at almost the same distance. So in the initial stage in phase one, we have given permission from our side. Very soon, within 8 to 10 days MbPT will come out with a tender. Once the permission is granted, very soon, you will see a cruise going to Jaigadh from here. Apart from this, they also want to start a cruise to Maldives and Mauritius.

On the basis of this, we are trying to identify six such spots in Maharashtra where a cruise liner can come and anchor or it can stay at such a place close to shore.

People can alight via small boats. Then this cruise, before heading off to any other destination, may visit at least another spot in Maharashtra. If the cruise, instead of going to Goa or Mauritius, wants to visit all the way up to Vijaydurgh, they will be able to visit four-five of our ports and through small boats, people can visit places like Janjira fort, Sindhudurg, Malvan, Vijaydurgh and different forts and beaches and return after a week. So we are also trying to focus more on and start cruise tourism. ď Ž

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 77

PRODUCT WATCH

PROFILE

A Versatile Elevator

Kone offers a Range of World Class Elevator Car Designs that are Localised.

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levators have contributed so much to the development of architecture, making buildings shoot higher and higher, increasing their square feet by the millions. Simply put, without elevators there wouldn’t be sky scrapers and without sky scrapers there wouldn’t be our modern cities or our urban life as we know it.

After the facade, it is elevators that invite people into a building. Travelling in one is more than just a ride, it is an experience in itself. They are the most obvious statements of the building’s appeal, attractiveness and its capability in moving people around efficiently. An elevator can make or break the image of a building.

It is why the design of an elevator plays a major role in determining a building’s reputation as well as in enhancing its

value. Creating the best overall elevator experience is more than mixing and matching the materials and components at KONE. The goal is to create a wholesome product, where the parts work together in a harmonious way. KONE today offers a range of world class elevator car designs that are localized to blend and merge with the cultural sensitivity of the country. The end result is a positive user experience: aesthetically, functionally and emotionally.

The KONE Design Philosophy As one of the earliest pioneers that shaped the elevator and escalator industry at the global level, KONE understands and places great importance on design. And design is not about good looks alone.

78 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

At KONE, Design is treated as a fine emotional experience that pleases the elevator user during every ride through form and function. It is a combination of aesthetics, accessibility, comfort, safety, reliability and eco-efficiency. While aesthetics is a major factor in KONE’s design approach, the focus remains strongly on sustainability, durability and functionality.

The design of our elevator car makes perfect balance between elevator and building’s interior design. Since buildings have their own character as people, each building is built in a unique way. While some are a place of fun and frolic, others are serene, simple and a few others are beautiful and elegant while some simply are functional to the core. You can see a touch of solidity in some buildings while

some others exude a style. Some are like hand-crafted masterpieces, some delicate and intricate. Keeping the above varying needs in mind the KONE cars have been designed as a series fitting the needs of function, form and elegance.

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The KONE Design Collection empowers the building creators with the choice of designing their own elevators that complements the building. Over 50 car interior themes and more than 100 different materials and accessories that involve a wide array of wall panels, ceilings, floor options, hand rails and novel lighting solutions ensure architects and building designers to create stunning visual effects. With the KONE Car Designer tool and a KONE expert always at hand to consult, mix and match options are easy, quick and uncomplicated.

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Global Award Winning Design KONE design themes have won international recognition and a number of prestigious design awards like the Red Dot Design award and Good Design award for their elegance, simplicity and

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Our respect for the environment and our desire to build pleasant surroundings for everyday life makes it only natural to base our elegant design selection on the five elements inspired from Vaastu.

A well-designed elevator has a huge impact on how users perceive a building and connect with it. KONE elevators and escalators are a result of continuing efforts to provide a globalised design appeal with localized cultural inspirations. The KONE I MonoSpace® and KONE I MiniSpace™ elevator designs are inspired from the Five Elements , symbolizing harmony, vitality and the spirit of being one with the Nature. With sustainability, durability, practicality and eco-efficiency behind the design philosophy, KONE elevators and escalators add immense value to a building, through their rich visual appeal as well as their industry leading performance and the ultimate customer satisfaction. The car designs take you on a tour, with colors, materials and lighting that are warm or cool, light or dark, fresh or sophisticated. Each of the cars has its own unique character and the design series draws inspiration from this. The ambience is influenced by the lighting, the feel of the material and the choice of colors.

True to our vision - “KONE delivers the best People Flow experience” – we have been striving towards giving our end user a memorable and meaningful encounter with the elevator………. 

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 79

TALK

INTERNATIONAL

IECC New Dealer for Case Construction To meet growing demand for construction machinery from contractors, government organisations and rental businesses, Case Construction Equipment has appointed International Equipment and Contracting Company (IECC) as its new dealer for Oman. This decision is taken as major public sector construction projects, rising oil prices and government investment in energy, manufacturing, transportation and utilities look set to boost the construction

equipment market in Oman, as per reports. Reports informed, Case is

committed to delivering the highest quality service and support throughout the Middle East and I am delighted that IECC has agreed to become our exclusive dealer for the Sultanate of Oman.

IECC said it was committed to sell and support the full range of Case construction machinery throughout the sultanate, including heavy and compact line and the new Case range of motor graders. telescopic handler and the CX210B crawler excavator.

Infra Upgrade to Improve Business

Pension Funds Set to Boost UK Infrastructure

Measures to improve the business climate and reduce red tape include upgrading all local authorities and commenting agencies involved in development approvals, according to the latest report under Jamaica’s standby agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), informed reports. Reforms also include, starting by March 2017, regulatory review of licensing, permitting and regulatory processes in fisheries, veterinary, agricultural, pharmaceutical, health and qualitycontrol divisions of government aimed at boosting efficiency and business competitiveness. Under the agreement, the Government is also required to implement electronic submission of development approval applications and mandatory use of the Application Management and Data Automation (AMANDA) system for development approvals and table in Parliament amendments to the Town and Country Planning Act and Local Improvements Act and regulations by May 2017.

Infrastructure is set to get a boost as five of Britain’s biggest local government pension schemes have pooled £1.3bn into a fund to invest in. This fund will eventually rival Canadian, Australian and US pension funds, which dominate private sector investment in infrastructure, and have years of expertise from projects in their own countries.

The GLIL fund has invested £250m in three projects so far — a portfolio of waste-to-energy plants, an onshore wind farm

80 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | January 2017

and new rolling stock for the East Anglia franchise. As per reports, the government released an updated National Infrastructure Plan with 720 projects, requiring £500bn of investment, 60 per cent of which is expected to come from the private sector.

Reports added government, on behalf of taxpayers, has agreed to underwrite the building risk if it spirals out of control while investors are in the unique position of earning a return from the first day of construction.

Construction of 10-MW Solar Park in Uganda Italy-based renewables developer Building Energy started the construction of the 10-MW Tororo solar power plant in Eastern Uganda, having reached financial close for the project.

The total cost of the scheme is estimated at USD 19.6 million. The construction process is expected to last about seven months. The

project is developed under the GET FiT support scheme for renewable energy projects, which is managed by Germany’s KfW Development Bank in partnership with Uganda’s government. It is funded by the European Union Infrastructure Trust Fund, and is also supported by the governments of Norway, Germany and the UK.

Elevator, Escalator Markets to Grow As per Te c h n a v i o’s latest report a n a l y s t s forecast the global elevator and escalator market will grow at a CAGR of over 11 per cent dur­ing the forecast period.

Global elevator and escalator market to grow at a CAGR of over 11 per cent during the forecast period 2016-2020. The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global elevator and escalator market for 20162020. To determine the market size, the study considers revenue generated from elevators and escalators.

Elevators lead this market with a market share of 88.9 per cent in 2015. The growth of this market can be attributed to the increase in number of high-rise constructions across the globe.

Countries worldwide are witnessing very high rates of urbanisation, which is creating a shortage of land. The most popular solution for this has been utilising the vertical space more efficiently, thus driving the market segment.

Bridgepoint to Acquire Hill Intl’s Construction Claims

Hill International, the global leader in managing construction risk, announced today that it has entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement to sell its construction claims group to Bridgepoint Development Capital, part of international private equity group Bridgepoint, for $147 million in an all-cash transaction.

The transaction is expected to close in approximately 60 days, subject to certain closing conditions. Hill’s Construction Claims Group, with approximately 960 professionals in 40 offices worldwide, provides claims consulting,

management consulting, litigation support, expert witness testimony, cost/damages assessment, delay/disruption analysis, adjudication, lender advisory, risk management, forensic accounting, fraud investigation, Project Neutral and international arbitration services. Under new ownership, the company will now focus on driving performance by improving its operations, making targeted acquisitions as it further consolidates its market and by continu­ ing to develop add­i­t­io­­­nal adjacent service offer­ings for its client, informed reports.

January 2017 | CONSTRUCTION TIMES | 81

EVENTS EVENTS

CALENDAR CALENDAR

National World of Concrete 2017 Roadtech International Conference Date: 17-20, 2017 Date: January August 12-2016 Venue: Las Vegas Venue: New Delhi Convention Center, Las Vegas, USA Website: Website: www.informaexhibitions.com www.assocham.org

UMEX 2016 FRONTALE INDIA 2017 FENSTERBAU Date: February August 10-12, Date: 23-25,2016 2017 Venue: New Delhi Venue: India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, India Website: www.frontale-india.com www.umexonline.com Website:

Vibrant Gujarat Tech India ExpoGlobal 2016 Summit 2017 Dates: January10-12, 10-13,2016 2017 Date: August Venue: Venue: Gandhinagra New Delhi Gujarat Website: Website: www.vibrantgujarat.com www.techindiaexpo.com

Build 2017FARE BRICSMat TRADE Date: 2-5, 2017 Date: February Oct 12-14, 2016 Venue: Coimbatore Venue: New Delhi

The Big 5 Construction RENEWABLE ASIA 2017India 2016 Date: September Date: April 12-14,28-30, 2017 2016 Venue: BEC, Goregaon, Mumbai Venue: Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai.

Website: www.thebig5constructindia.com

Wire India: & Cable India 2016 Roof Bombay Convention & Date: October 5-7, 2016 Exhibition Centre (BCEC) Venue: Mumbai Date: April 20-22, 2017 Website: www.mdna.com Venue: Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai

TheBuildings Tube India International 1st India 2017 Expo2016 Date: May October 5-7,2017 2016 Date: 10-12, Venue: Mumbai Venue: Pragati Maidan, New Delhi Website: www.tube-india.com

Powder & Bulk Solids India 2016 WINDERGY Date: April October 13-15, 2016 Date: 25-27, 2017 Venue: Mumbai Venue: Hotel Ashok, Delhi Website: www.powderbulksolidsindia.com

Metallurgy India 2016 3rd Smart Cities Date: October 5-7,India 20162017 Expo Date: May 10-12, 2017 Venue: Mumbai Venue: Pragati Maidan, New Delhi Website: www.metallurgy-india.com

Bauma Conexpo India Aluminium China Date: Dec 12-15, 2016 Date: July 19-21, 2017 Venue: Gurgaon Venue: Shanghai Website: www.bcindia.com

India Essen Welding & Cutting 2016 The Big 5 Construct India Date: October 5-7, 2016 Date: September 14-16, 2017 Venue: Mumbai Venue: Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon Website: www.india-essen-welding-cutting.com

1st Buildings India 2017 Expo Excon 2017 May 2017 Date: 10-12 Date: December 12-16, 2017 Venue: Pragati Maidan, New Delhi Venue: Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), Bangalore

IMEX 2016 Intersolar India Date: August 10-12, 2016 Date: December Venue: New Delhi5-7, 2017 Venue: Exhibition & Conference, Mumbai Website: www.imexonline.com

3rd Smart Cities India 2017 Expo Build Date: Intec 10-12 May 2017 Date: February Venue: Pragati 02-05, Maidan,2018 New Delhi Venue: Coimbatore

Website: www.ficci.com

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