In NLC during the period from 1959 to till I retired in1993,I had the opportunity to work with people of three generations. In 1959 , in the initial stage of the project, the Engineers except a few seniors ,were in the age group 25 to 30 years. The work force were above 40 of years and some were above 50.Many were from nearby villagers, and they did not have any skill but all of them committed to work and wanted to learn. Some of them traditionally were blacksmiths and carpenters, and they had some skill. But all of them totally wanted to learn the work. We could easily work with them as they were committed to work. In 1959 along with me only four graduate engineers were recruited. Many others were diploma holders. At that time clubbed accommodations were only given. Three or four will be given clubbed accomadation in an independent house in the temporary colony in Gangaikondan or in Mandakuppam. Transport was a bottle neck. Two NLC buses were plying between the Temporary colonies and New Township under construction. Only Civil Engineers were allowed to travel in the bus.. Others had to find their own transport to go to the work spots. Food was another problem.
All had to depend on the Ramaswamy Iyer’s hotel near the railway station..
Then salary for fresh graduate Engineers were Rs 315/per month inclusive of all allowances. An Assistant Executive Engineer was getting around Rs 400/pm and an Executive Engineer around Rs 600/pm. For me two meals and breakfast came to be around Rs 50/pm. I was saving around Rs 200/ easily per month. I married Seethalakhmi in !962.Even then the monthly expenditure did not exceed more than Rs200/ pm. Petrol was costing 70 paisa in 1969.With Rs 50/ petrol cost ,I could go to Kerala in my car from Neyveli I got promotion as Assistant Executive Engineer in 1965 and posted to work in the Chemical units and to take up the maintenance of high voltage electrical machineries like HV switchgears, transformers, HV cables.Sri S Ramalingam took up the maintenave of high voltage motors ,and generators in the chemical units. Later Sri Ramalingam resigned from NLC and joined in Madras Refinaries.He reitred from MRL in 1995 as CMD.
After Sri Ramalingam resigned ,Sri N.Sivaprakam joined in the chemical units of NLC to maintain the HV Motors.We formed a very good team along with Sri M.Balakrishnan Nambiar, who was in charge of the Electrical testing Department.
All maintenance works were done through department workers only. Workers were never reluctant to do difficult jobs like 33kv cable jointing or transporting heavy transformers weighing more than 40tons to Central Repair Shop for repairs. Even laying the 33kv cable for jointing was done with the department workmen. Contract systems were never in vogue in those days in any plants if the works were perennial in nature.Some non- perennial jobs like painting the sub-stations etc were done through contractors .The workers never refused to do the works given. They were having close rapport with first line supervisors.and never reluctant to do the works.I worked till 1980 in the chemical plants. In 1980 I was promoted as Executive Engineer and transferred to Central Electrical Repair Shop.
Then salary for fresh graduate Engineers were Rs 315/per month inclusive of all allowances. An Assistant Executive Engineer was getting around Rs 400/pm and an Executive Engineer around Rs 600/pm. For me two meals and breakfast came to be around Rs 50/pm. I was saving around Rs 200/ easily per month. I married Seethalakhmi in !962.Even then the monthly expenditure did not exceed more than Rs200/ pm. Petrol was costing 70 paisa in 1969.With Rs 50/ petrol cost ,I could go to Kerala in my car from Neyveli I got promotion as Assistant Executive Engineer in 1965 and posted to work in the Chemical units and to take up the maintenance of high voltage electrical machineries like HV switchgears, transformers, HV cables.Sri S Ramalingam took up the maintenave of high voltage motors ,and generators in the chemical units. Later Sri Ramalingam resigned from NLC and joined in Madras Refinaries.He reitred from MRL in 1995 as CMD.
After Sri Ramalingam resigned ,Sri N.Sivaprakam joined in the chemical units of NLC to maintain the HV Motors.We formed a very good team along with Sri M.Balakrishnan Nambiar, who was in charge of the Electrical testing Department.
All maintenance works were done through department workers only. Workers were never reluctant to do difficult jobs like 33kv cable jointing or transporting heavy transformers weighing more than 40tons to Central Repair Shop for repairs. Even laying the 33kv cable for jointing was done with the department workmen. Contract systems were never in vogue in those days in any plants if the works were perennial in nature.Some non- perennial jobs like painting the sub-stations etc were done through contractors .The workers never refused to do the works given. They were having close rapport with first line supervisors.and never reluctant to do the works.I worked till 1980 in the chemical plants. In 1980 I was promoted as Executive Engineer and transferred to Central Electrical Repair Shop.
The Central Electrical Repair Shop took up the repairs of all electrical equipments of power stations Mines units, chemical units and Township. The failures of the conveyor 630KW 3.3kv motors were very high. Day and night pressure from the Mines units would be coming even from the Directors level, for repairing the failed crtical motors, at the shortest possible time. CERS had to cope up with the pressure. It was undoubtedly a good experiance to work in CERS, but the fact of the situation was that the responsibility was so high and nobody could officially survive without showing tangible results. For want of equipments from CERS if production was affected, it was the end of the future of the Officer in charge of CERS.The expectations of the management for results from service units were very high and. therefore it was imperative to show reults.Those days around 4000 failed electrical eqiupments were delivered every year after repairs.It was never being an easy task.It was possilble because of hardworking of the Executives Foremen and workmen in CERS.
The failures of the conveyor HV motors in Mines were never analyzed properly. I think till 1990 no suitable motors for use in lignite mine's conveyors which could give trouble free performance were designed in India. For NLC mine's condition the HV motors could have been designed for higher thermal withstand capability ,both stator and rotor coils with cast resin F-class insulations, the slip ring chambers more pressurized to prevent ingress of dust and lignite and no wear and tear, flash free slip rings using suitable carbon brushes. Maximum number of conveyor HV motors were supplied by NGEF Bangalore. In spite of taking all issues with the firm by NLC ,no efforts were made by them to improve the performance of these motors even in the subsequet supply of motors.
In 1986 I was promoted as Dy Chief Engineer I along with Mr. Mohamed Kunju were posted to work in the new Thermal Power Station11 in 1986. Mr Kunju was a Mechanical Engineer and posted to the construction department of the power station. Only one 210 MW unit was commissioned then and six more yet to be commissioned before the targeted date in 1992. I was given the job of organizing the Electrical Maintenance from scratch.In TS 11 the Engineers and workmen were almost all in the age group between25 to 30 years old. The workmen almost all were ITI Holders and skilled. The work culture in TS11 was quite different from the chemical units. The best way of ensuring relaible and consistent maintenace was off-loading some non -perennial works to contractors.Highly skilled works were carried out through depatmental workmen. In 1990 I was promoted as Chief Engineer and in 1992 I got promotion as Dy General Manager( Maintenance) and took over the maintenance of Electrcal, Mechanical and Civil Branches and operation and maintenance of lignite handling systems(LHS) in TS11. Basically I was not a Power Engineer, but a maintenance engineer,and I was acceptable to all in the Power station. I was only a team player. I believed in delegating resposiblity and authoriity to my people working with me.I trusted my people.They have never disappoined the organisation. Capabalities have no monopoly,no expiring dates or full-stops.Identify the people who are fit in certain jobs. Each and every one has one talent or many.No one can be discarded.
The failures of the conveyor HV motors in Mines were never analyzed properly. I think till 1990 no suitable motors for use in lignite mine's conveyors which could give trouble free performance were designed in India. For NLC mine's condition the HV motors could have been designed for higher thermal withstand capability ,both stator and rotor coils with cast resin F-class insulations, the slip ring chambers more pressurized to prevent ingress of dust and lignite and no wear and tear, flash free slip rings using suitable carbon brushes. Maximum number of conveyor HV motors were supplied by NGEF Bangalore. In spite of taking all issues with the firm by NLC ,no efforts were made by them to improve the performance of these motors even in the subsequet supply of motors.
In 1986 I was promoted as Dy Chief Engineer I along with Mr. Mohamed Kunju were posted to work in the new Thermal Power Station11 in 1986. Mr Kunju was a Mechanical Engineer and posted to the construction department of the power station. Only one 210 MW unit was commissioned then and six more yet to be commissioned before the targeted date in 1992. I was given the job of organizing the Electrical Maintenance from scratch.In TS 11 the Engineers and workmen were almost all in the age group between25 to 30 years old. The workmen almost all were ITI Holders and skilled. The work culture in TS11 was quite different from the chemical units. The best way of ensuring relaible and consistent maintenace was off-loading some non -perennial works to contractors.Highly skilled works were carried out through depatmental workmen. In 1990 I was promoted as Chief Engineer and in 1992 I got promotion as Dy General Manager( Maintenance) and took over the maintenance of Electrcal, Mechanical and Civil Branches and operation and maintenance of lignite handling systems(LHS) in TS11. Basically I was not a Power Engineer, but a maintenance engineer,and I was acceptable to all in the Power station. I was only a team player. I believed in delegating resposiblity and authoriity to my people working with me.I trusted my people.They have never disappoined the organisation. Capabalities have no monopoly,no expiring dates or full-stops.Identify the people who are fit in certain jobs. Each and every one has one talent or many.No one can be discarded.
Maintenance engineering for Thermal power-plant facilities is changing from time-based mangement to condition-based management. The maintenance engineering has been moving away from conventional way of maintenanceOptimizing maintenance management can save the Power station from considerable percentage of its maintenance charge. Breakdown of machineries can take a toll in the revenue through loss in productivity. Costly downtimes can be reduced if a proper maintenance management system is in place Training of power station maintenance management is necessary for the maintenance Engineers and techicians in power plants.The power generation growth of NLC is seemed to be not encouraging. From 1993 to till 2003 only 420 MW added to its capacity. The growth of any profit making organization like NLC should have been not less 50 percentage added to its total capacity in every five years. NLC is putting up a coal based Thermal Power Plant at Tuticorin with a capacity of 1000 MW as a joint venture with Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB). NLC may consider for going for more coal based power stations instead of lignite based power stations. India is not saving its natural resources for the future generations.
The iron ore is exported to China and other counties. At the same time we are told that within 200 years India will exhaust all iron ores. Even it is low grade iron ore or coal, India should not export its natural resources to other countries. Similarly the lignite has to be preserved for future India, and it should be judiciously used at present. Perhaps when boiler technology and efficiency improve , consumption of lignite per unit generation may go down.It is now one kg per unit generation. That means for generation of 210MW with 24 hours full generation the consumption of lignite is around 5000tons.
The iron ore is exported to China and other counties. At the same time we are told that within 200 years India will exhaust all iron ores. Even it is low grade iron ore or coal, India should not export its natural resources to other countries. Similarly the lignite has to be preserved for future India, and it should be judiciously used at present. Perhaps when boiler technology and efficiency improve , consumption of lignite per unit generation may go down.It is now one kg per unit generation. That means for generation of 210MW with 24 hours full generation the consumption of lignite is around 5000tons.
MY HEALTH PROBLEMS
For some the Doctors are representatives of God. There is a special bond between patients and the Doctors which can be said as a divine relationship. Patients need to maintain good relationship with the family Doctors. But we think about Doctors only when we are sick. In many hospitals Doctors are overstressed and they become unfriendly. In a few cases Doctors fail to diagnose correctly and the patients are put into great risks. I would like to mention here my own experiences in NLC the General Hospital. Mostly all senior Doctors in NLC Hospitals were known to me . I had no doubts about thier professional capabilities .
For some the Doctors are representatives of God. There is a special bond between patients and the Doctors which can be said as a divine relationship. Patients need to maintain good relationship with the family Doctors. But we think about Doctors only when we are sick. In many hospitals Doctors are overstressed and they become unfriendly. In a few cases Doctors fail to diagnose correctly and the patients are put into great risks. I would like to mention here my own experiences in NLC the General Hospital. Mostly all senior Doctors in NLC Hospitals were known to me . I had no doubts about thier professional capabilities .
I had severe chest pain in 1990. I was rushed to the General Hospital Neyveli immediately. At the hospital my blood pressure was checked and ECG was taken. The blood pressure was 200/120 and no abnormality was found in the ECG as per the doctor. I was an inpatient for three days. In fact it was my first heart attack (later in Chennai when I had a second heart attack in 1996, the ECG indicated an earlier heart attack) and the Doctors in the General Hospital could not find the actual reason for the chest pain. NLC did not have an Eco cardiograph.It is unfortunate that the General Hospital of a big public sector organization like NLC did not have a cardiologist.
I retired from NLC on 30 9 1993.
After my retirement,I settled in Chennai with my family
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