B L Kashyap and Sons Ltd is one of India’s leading construction companies building world class residential townships, IT parks, Institutions, hospitals etc and was founded in the year 1978. Vineet Kashyap, Managing Director, B L Kashyap and Sons Ltd shares his insights on the company’s vision, new projects and his views about this sector.
How would you define the vision of the company ?
Our vision for B.L Kashyap has been to be recognised as a leader for High Quality on time construction serving all our stakeholders with the highest ethical standards. Value engineering with transparency is what we provide our clients and that starts from when we come onboard to even after we hand over the project.
What has been the biggest project bagged this year?
In the year 2022-2023 the biggest project awarded is Bijwasan Railway station for Rs 313 crore excluding GST.
With increasing focus on Green building are there any concrete steps taken towards it?
99 per cent of the buildings we construct are certified GREEN. Almost all new government buildings, as well as large developers only build Green buildings which are GRIHA or LEEDS Certified. Our investment in Green Buildings comes predominantly in the
design and logistic phase and we have created a dedicated team that understands the rating systems and how to achieve efficiencies in design, energy and material use to achieve these standards. We have completed large Green Buildings and are proud of being associated with them. One being Hines One Horizon in Gurgaon which is a gold standard in terms of quality and office buildings. Another notable one is The Hero Honda Green Factory at Manesar – the first of its kind.
| Key Points Ongoing projects: 24+ ongoing projects Areas of operation: Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Brijwasan, Ranchi in North India. Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Bangalore in the South |
What have been some of the landmark projects implemented?
That’s an extremely difficult choice to make, as all our projects are equally important and prestigious for us. A few of them where we overcame tremendous adversity and delivered world class structures are: Oberoi Wildflower Hall, Shimla because of the sheer difficulty and quality required at this project. Embassy Manyata Tech Park, Bangalore: This is Asia’s largest business park, built by B.L. Kashyap. Every building is leased to a different fortune 500 company and most have been built to suit. The sheer volume to build has been incredible.
Embassy Tech Village, Bangalore –
Parcel 5 because this was one of the largest composite steel structures in India. DLF Downtown, Gurgaon– This was executed in 9 months during Covid and is DLF’s first venture into composite structures and a very prestigious association for us. NHSRCL Sabarmati, Ahmedabad– This was an EPC job where we completed everything including the Design. The finished structure we have achieved in the timelines is something we are proud of.
What is one of the most challenging parts of this sector according to you?
Quality Skilled Manpower, we have been witnessing a vast reduction in civil engineering graduates and after Covid this has further worsened. The current education system doesn’t focus on skill training and graduates today do not have the necessary field experience or soft skills and are thus part of a dwindling pool of civil engineers. Labour is another problem where with the huge opportunities in Government Infrastructure the country we feel A1 construction companies will face a problem sourcing skilled labour to execute our jobs. Lack of Industry status and Standardizations of cost of building materials and construction techniques to improve overall efficiency and costs. Adoption of real time drone monitoring to map progress and deviations is a great idea, but the reality is that no software in the market is capable of capturing even 50 per cent of data that can be used for the benefit of the project. Technology is great, but it should be usable and make an actual difference to the overall progress. Increasingly due to climate change we are seeing unprecedented effects of natural disasters like untimely torrential rain especially in the south of India causing unforeseen delays at huge costs. Opportunities are huge after Covid we are finally seeing an increase in queries and with government spending sky’s the limit. We feel the next two-five years without any major world incident would be the time for the Indian Construction Sector.
Labours form an inevitable part of this sector. Are there any provisions made by the company for them?
Covid saw mass migration of labour on almost all sites, however at B.L Kashyap we saw hardly any labour migration and thus even though the lockdown work did continue on most of our sites across the country.
How did we achieve this and continue to fulfil our labour requirements on sites?
We take care of our labour, it’s as simple as that. From their living spaces, to their food, recreation, upskilling, mental and physical health, as a company we have invested a lot in the well-being of our migrant labour workers. There are standard regulatory acts, registration, minimum wage like the Building and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996, The Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Rules, 1998. The National Policy for Safety, Health, and Environment at Workplace, 2009: etc that is already there as default in the system of the company, but over and above this we are highly stringent about the safety of our labour. During peak requirements, we even pay the labour a premium price at our own cost to ensure timely completion of our projects.
How do you ensure timely completion of projects?
Construction projects, particularly large-scale ones, are notorious for taking longer than anticipated to complete. Delays can arise from various factors, including unforeseen challenges, changes in design, and weather conditions, among others. However, timely completion is critical to the success of any construction project as it ensures that the project meets the needs of the client and is delivered within the agreed-upon timeline and budget.
How do you ensure timely completion of projects?
Construction projects, particularly large-scale ones, are notorious for taking longer than anticipated to complete. Delays can arise from various factors, including unforeseen challenges, changes in design, and weather conditions, among others. However, timely completion is critical to the success of any construction project as it ensures that the project meets the needs of the client and is delivered within the agreed-upon timeline and budget. What has helped us deliver projects on time and maintain control over quality are few points mentioned below:
Project Planning and Scheduling:
Project planning and scheduling are vital elements of any construction project, particularly in large projects that involve several stakeholders. A clear and concise plan is developed that outlines the scope of work, project timelines, milestones, labour histogram and deliverables. The schedule is to be structured in a way that accommodates any potential delays while ensuring that the project remains on track. The project manager also ensures that the schedule is flexible enough to allow for changes and unforeseen events. This can be achieved by including contingency plans and regularly updating the schedule as the project progresses.
Resource Allocation:
Resource allocation is another critical factor that can affect the timely completion of a construction project. The project head has to ensure that the project has sufficient resources, including labour, materials, equipment, and funds, to ensure that work progresses as planned. Adequate resource allocation can help mitigate potential delays that arise from a lack of resources, such as delays caused by material shortages or equipment breakdowns. There also has to be a careful balance of resource allocation to avoid overloading some resources and underutilizing others.
Effective Communication and Maintenance of Date-sheets:
Effective communication is crucial in any construction project, particularly those that involve multiple contractors, subcontractors, and designers. Communication breakdowns can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and costly rework. To minimise communication challenges, the project head has to create a communication plan that outlines the communication channels, protocols, and responsibilities of each stakeholder. Communication channels can include face-to- face meetings, emails, phone calls, and project management software. Date-sheets with all above captured are also mandatory for smooth functioning.
Quality Control and Safety:
Delays in construction projects can also arise from poor workmanship, rework caused by design changes, or equipment failure. Quality control measures, such as regular inspections, testing, and commissioning, can help prevent these delays. At BLK our safety and quality heads ensure that quality control measures are integrated into the schedule to allow for adequate time to carry out inspections and any necessary remedial work and safety is integrated through it all.
In which ways do you feel the company is contributing towards the bigger picture of nation building?
BLK has been building city skylines and contributing to society through decades in our areas of operations. Be it health care, institutional, manufacturing, educational buildings or hospitality, housing, commercial or office parks we have been part of building structures that have contributed to the growth of the economy. Today with almost four metro stations in our order book and having completed airport terminals and metros in the past, we have also significantly contributed to the transport networks of the country. The largest IT campuses and office parks across the country have been built by BLK. But what BLK contributes most as a company is an example of transparency, integrity, quality and importance of nurturing relationships which sets us apart from the rest in our field.