Acountry's economic
progress is closely linked
with its infrastructural
development. A leading
manufacturing and engineering
company has recently created an
infrastructural marvel in the state
of Gujarat thus propelling the
region's economy. It all began in
2002 when Kirloskar Brothers
Limited (KBL), India's largest
manufacturer and exporter of
pumps, secured an order from
Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd
to install and commission world's
largest pumping scheme in five
years. The order was won against
severe international competition. It
covered five pumping stations
along Saurashtra branch canal, a
part of Narmada project canal
system.With this order, KBL
entered the market for
infrastructural pumping systems.
Not only has KBL provided
the design, engineering,
manufacturing and supply for this
project but it has been also
involved in installation,
commissioning and civil
engineering work on turnkey basis.
The Saurashtra branch canal is
the largest branch canal of the
Narmada project canal system. Due
to rising gradient of land, the
draining of water was not possible
beyond a certain point. It is at this
point that the world's largest
pumping scheme was conceived,
engineered, and now has being
commissioned. This scheme will
pump the water up the ascending
terrain by means of five pumping
stations, and discharge 54,432
million litres per day. The further
branching of canals to the
Saurashtra region from here will
irrigate 5.4 lakh hectares of land
and supply water to 4620 towns
and villages.
This project can be termed as a
river interlinking project."With the
commissioning of this project, we
would like to appeal to the central
government, to drive the megaambitious
river inter-linking
project in India, which has already
been conceived. Indian industry
has sufficient strengths and
capabilities to take up this
challenge and effect changes in
the water geography of the nation,
improving water resource
availability in the nation," said Shri
Narendra Modi, Chief Minister,
Gujarat. Sanjay Kirloskar, CMD -
KBL further added, "We at Kirloskar
Brothers Limited are very proud to
say that we have demonstrated
this capability here. And by doing
so, KBL is implementing this
scheme at about 25 per cent of the
initial project cost proposed by a
foreign company in 1991 to
Government of Gujarat."
This particular pumping project
has marked a new beginning in the
KBL history, with KBL being
identified amongst a handful of
companies in the world capable of
executing pumping projects on
engineering, procurement and
construction (EPC) basis.
KBL now envisions reaching
top 15 pump companies in the
world this year, and to top five
by 2015.
"We would like you to recall
that India's first centrifugal pump,
electric motor, diesel engine, lathe
machine, compressor were
manufactured by the Kirloskar
group of companies, who did a
pioneering work and jointly laid
......CONTD
