The Indo–China road project was first announced by the Indian Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in 2010. This ambitious infrastructure project aims to construct strategic roads along India’s northern borders with China that will enable faster and easier movement of Indian ground troops and also improve defence and surveillance layouts to prevent transgressions. The roads will also provide a major connectivity boost for civil populations in the remote border areas.
However, to date, progress on the Indo-China road project has been slow, largely due to bureaucracy and red tape. In the Ladakh region, only two of the 14 roads commissioned have been completed. Further, creation of infrastructure along very arduous terrain is proving to be difficult with limited technology available. Monitoring of projects also requires the proper upgrade of IT platform systems. This has led the BRO to encourage more private construction companies to become more involved in developing infrastructure along the border.
{{image2-a:r-w:300}}One private company that has already stepped up to the plate is Anusha Projects, a Hyderabad-based mining, drilling and blasting operations company that was founded in 2002. With diversified activities, Anusha entered the quarrying and crushing business in 2007 to meet the demand for crushed aggregates from infrastructure development companies.
Anusha Projects had subcontracted an order and was looking to install a crushing plant in the Indo-China region. The company needed a partner with the best technology and the ability and know-how to execute a remote project in difficult terrain. Several reference checks and discussion rounds led it to Metso.
“When we got this project, we knew about the difficulties that lay ahead of us,” said A Jalandhar Reddy, the managing director for Anusha Projects. “The working conditions were very challenging and, to top it all off, there are not many project management teams gutsy enough to handle such climatic conditions. Our quest to select the right partner ended with Metso and, in my opinion, the real reason was the commitment level of both Anusha and the Metso teams. We succeeded really well.”
The tough terrain required technology that could withstand the natural landscape and the difficulties Anusha faced on this project.
“We couldn’t compromise on the quality of the technology or expertise,” Reddy said. “We needed sound technology to back the project, as the working conditions and timelines were quite challenging. Metso’s jaw and cone crushers have a proven track record and have performed in difficult projects. That was a clear motivation for selecting them.”
With the requirements of the project in mind, the Metso team suggested a modular crushing plant. The reason was simple: Metso’s modular design plant has a high degree of flexibility and is perhaps the most compact offering in the industry, with great ease of transportation and erection. The 235 tonne per hour modular plant was fitted with a C106 jaw crusher and a GP11F cone crusher.
UNEXPLORED TERRITORY
In December 2010 the discussions started moving forward, and the site location of Korzok was announced. Korzok is about 22km from Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, and sits at an altitude of 4860m above sea level. This project challenged
{{image3-a:r-w:300}}Metso on several fronts. Heading so far above sea level was exciting but the proportional challenges were not very clear.
Scarcity of oxygen, logistical inaccessibility and extreme weather conditions are only the most common problems.
The site in Korzok, Tso Morori, has no connectivity. No telecommunications and no roads get the adrenaline pumping – not to mention that the area is prone to landslides. Adding to the problems were the very narrow roads, which further limited the cargo-carrying capacity and choice of vehicles.
The road to Korzok is accessible for only five months a year, from June to October, so Anusha wanted Metso to finish the supply, erection and commissioning in two months, so production could be started in the subsequent three months. To ensure the schedule-bound sufficiency of supplies, the supply chain management team arranged timely delivery of structures and other parts, as any short supplies would result in huge losses of time and money.
TOUGH FROM THE GET-GO
Despite structured planning, the project was full of challenges, from supply through to commissioning.
“When we first started transporting material to the site, it was discovered that the permissible load per vehicle on the hilly terrain of Zojilla pass and onwards to Leh is seven tonnes,” Alok Jha of Metso India said. “This was a nearly insurmountable obstacle in transporting the crushers to the site, as the crushers suited for this modular plant were as heavy as 16 tonnes. A quick decision was made to dismantle the crushers and transport them in parts. The jaw and cone crushers were taken to our Faridabad warehouse, where they were dismantled and then transported to the site.
{{image4-a:r-w:300}}“Like any other project, unexpected delays did creep in; however, the sheer grit, dedication and determination of the team ensured the completion of this project in a record 35 days. I recall that at the time of commissioning, the customer could not provide us with a lifting crane. However, the Metso team found a solution to this problem and commissioned the plant with an excavator until the crane was made available. That was quite a challenge.
“The only way to communicate with the team at the site was via a satellite phone, which could be accessed twice a day.
No cellular network is available in that area. Extreme climatic conditions were one of the major hurdles. The temperature sometimes plunged to 40 degrees below zero, icy winds sweep the area, and it is always dangerous to work at heights with no vegetation around. People fell sick easily, due to mountain sickness, lack of oxygen and cold winds.
“So we always had to be prepared with back-up resources. The extreme cold weather also restricted everyone’s working capacity. As a result, three days of work on-site at one time had to be reduced to one day. Some of these hurdles could not be anticipated. It wasn’t until we started working at the site that we experienced them.”
Reddy said: “This was my first project with Metso and I found the team highly competent, committed, and focused. It was not an easy job but what Metso demonstrated was nothing short of a miracle. What impressed me most was their skill in planning and project management, which resulted in the project being completed in just 35 days, despite the tough conditions. They were highly proactive and always ready to go the extra mile in every situation. We were ready for production within a few weeks, and the plant is now performing according to our expectations.”
Source: Metso
reference & FURTHER READING
1. Transforming Border Roads Organisation: MoD pushes to fast-track projects but challenges remain along Indo-China border. The Economic Times (India). 7 March, 2015.