Achieving this new Guinness World Record brings more responsibility to our table.

- Jagdish Kadam

Managing Director, Rajpath Infracon

Congratulations on achieving the new feat in highway construction! What was the motive behind taking up such a challenging task?

Accepting challenges and transforming the impossible to possible is not a new thing to Rajpath Infracon now. Back in May 2021 we made a world record of laying 39.691 km of bituminous concrete in 24 hours when the COVID pandemic was at its peak. Even then, we had people wondering how we had achieved that feat.

With this in our pockets already, our self-confidence was stronger than ever before. But we were hungering to do something remarkable to:

• Create and establish a sense of conviction and confidence in the infrastructure development industry of our nation.
• To attract the attention of the world and players in the field, towards the extraordinary capabilities of infrastructural development companies of India, opening opportunities globally for the growth of this sector, and finally the most important motive was
• Firmly express unfaltering support and commitment with the national initiative for nation building like Gati Shakti, Bharat Mala Pariyojana and such visionary projects, being implemented by our Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Hon'ble Minister of MoRTH, Nitin Gadkari.

 Yes, the challenge was intimidating, but our spirits were dauntless, and our resolve unyielding too. We knew what we had set to achieve, and had the will too, so the way opened itself for us to reach the 75+ km mark in 105 hours, as planned. Earlier, our PM had called upon the citizens of India to dedicate 75 hours to the progress of the nation on the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. We decided to give our work a dash of the extraordinary by paving 75 km of bituminous concrete continuously, making a new Guinness World Record, and offering this to our nation in response to our PM's clarion call, to commemorate the 75 grand years of Indian independence.

What kind of strategy and planning did you work out to achieve this success?

Rome was not built in a day, they say. Similarly, this project was also challenging. Everything about this task was learning for us - passing the eligibility, completion of the documentation, and constant communication with the Guinness Record Team in the UK. Our strategy was clear - make it right the first time! We had set our eyes on the target to achieve 75+ km of continuous paving, and connected with our reliable, dependable partners of machinery and materials and shared our plans with them in confidence without ambiguity. Not only did we win their wholehearted support but also their zeal. This way, we built a formidable team that would be fail-proof.

At our end, we established a core team of think tanks first. Then there were various other teams like the Technical, Operations, Purchase, Finance, IT, Admin etc. that fed inputs to this core team. We were fairly sorted when it came to processes because of our ISO systems. The planning and brain-storming went on for five long and intense months. The micro-management was also meticulously premeditated, that included arrangements of not just serving food round-the-clock from an ISO certified canteen at odd hours, but also fire-fighting arrangements as well as a dedicated ambulance with doctor's services. We ensured that nothing went amiss when the D-day arrived.

We are happy to declare that all our hard work did give our team full returns.

How did you use construction equipment and technologies to turn the plans into reality?

Rajpath Infracon has always focused on innovative solutions with the help of modern technology. We have never compromised on this because we believe in smart work and delivering the highest possible quality of work.

All the equipment and machinery that we employed in this project were of the latest models with the updated technology for performance and monitoring. They belonged to the best manufacturers of the world like Wirtgen, Tata Motors, Cummins, Ammann as well as few material suppliers like IOC, BPCL etc. We had their expert team on the field all throughout the five days to provide every kind of attention and assistance in support to ensure optimal output. Contingency planning was done to an advanced level.

The stats of the entire project were incredibly astounding too! As much as 36,634 Metric tons of bituminous concrete was paved in 105 hours and 33 minutes with the help of 728 workers. As many as 80 tippers, five batch mix plants, just one sensor paver with a hopper, six tandem rollers and two pneumatic tyre rollers were used. Such a target has never been dreamt of, set or achieved before in the domain of infrastructure, in road construction and paving, especially in India.

We had employed tipper vehicles with GPS monitoring to track their movement. We even developed special customised software called Jawali-Sutra that kept track of how much output each batch-mix plan was giving us, how much material was being consumed, and how much distance was being paved in how much time. With the help of such innovative technologies, all the critical control systems were closely and precisely monitored, recorded and analysed on a real-time basis.   

What are the other factors worked to achieve the record performance?

When you envisage a dream, it takes shape in the space of your mind. But the main factor that contributes to bringing it to reality is always your team. I have always connected with them in complete transparency and my team has reciprocated with double the enthusiasm and dedication. The evening before, all my team gathered at the Camp site office and we had a very fervent interaction. I shared with them what it would mean to achieve the honour of breaking the existing Guinness World Record made in Doha, Qatar and making a new one, for our country and each one of us. I explained how the forthcoming five days would be the days that would change our lives forever, shape our future and that of our organisation and nation too. The zealous team responded with passion that amazed me, and I knew the honour would be ours to claim, on June 7, 2022. 

We already had rich experience of team management, discipline, project monitoring and execution during our last stint of making a world record. That fundamental experience provided a sturdy foundation when we were working towards this new goal.

Besides this, all our supporters, well-wishers, bankers and partners providing material and machinery, all spontaneously extended full support, co-operation and decided they wanted to join hands with us, charge full throttle and make this happen, without any figment of hesitation or doubt. What more could I have wanted to feel confident to make a go for it?

The government plans to expand the highway network by 25,000 km in 2022-23 as per the Union budget 2022. How challenging will this be for contractors to achieve? How are you prepared for this?

Our government has had a very progressive approach where infrastructure is concerned. It has provided ample opportunities for development and growth in this sector. I look at the infrastructure segment opening doors to many avenues, not just road construction, especially with initiatives like Gati Shakti, which is about developing multimodal connectivity across the nation giving great impetus to the infrastructure sector and allied industry. I’m sure the several opportunities that will come up will need infra contractors to roll up their sleeves and contribute to nation building.

I and my Rajpath team are motivated with the idea of `Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ to bridge distances between different parts of the country. Till date, we have been executing roadway projects in Maharashtra mainly, but now we are driven to take up projects on a national level. Following the achievement of this feat of completion of 75+ km in 105 hours and 33 minutes, I believe we have set a new benchmark for the speed and quality of work. I also believe we shall successfully continue our march ahead with our experience, expertise and commitment to quality. After all, when you raise the bar and push the next gear, there is no turning back. We are, as Hon. Minister of MoRTH Nin Gadkari says, on ‘Pragati ka highway'.

Government has very ambitious plans of expanding and upgrading the highway network in India. What are your plans ahead in the government's quest for creating better road infrastructure?

We have been in the infra sector for more than 35 years now. We have grown steadily in terms of not just turnover, but also project size, manpower, experience, expertise, financial constancy, sustainability and achievements. That goes to speak about our overall stability as an infra company. We are not a very huge enterprise, but are not very small either. We have always carefully chosen our projects, opted for the more challenging ones and that has brought us where we are today. We have been and shall continue to stand committed to the cause of nation building under programs like Bharatmala Pariyojana and Gati Shakti. But we have never taken more than what we can chew!

Achieving this new Guinness World Record brings more responsibility to our table. We know and understand this. After breaking the old Guinness World Record of 25.279 km, there were scenes of euphoric celebrations where everyone on the field, labourers to operators, supervisors to managers, suppliers and well-wishers cheered hoarse, ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai!'. That was the moment of realisation for me that we are in the true sense, infrastructure foot-soldiers. And with this I also comprehended that we would henceforth be leading by example. That is why, along with road construction, we shall also look into expansion into other infra sectors over a period of time. 

Would you like to share your concluding remarks before ending this interview?

Our effort of aiming for the new Guinness World Record was not merely to win accolades or business expansion and growth. I have always harbored this earnest dream to reach out to the aspiring youth of rural India and offer them opportunities to grow. I came from a rural background, and this is how far I have reached. I want to reach out to this segment of our youth and show them that the infrastructure sector is full of opportunities; it has rich prospects to break the barriers and offers great careers. I hope achieving such world records will just reinforce their faith that India is no longer a nation to feel hopeless about, and seek jobs overseas. Our time has come, and it is now. It is for us to grab our opportunity and make our own path in the future.

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