RUMBLE TIME

The activities for synchronization of Unit 2 of Dariba Smelter Complex are just reaching a peak. The site is bustling up to its usual rush as it always happens before this important milestone.

During the day everywhere you go in the Power plant, you can see welders busy intently upon some big steam lines perched atop them with a safety belt. Grinders and fitters with their strange merchandise trying to give the final touches to recent mechanical joints. The insulation guys wearing there masks and spraying or wrapping the corrosive glass wool and asbestos around the equipments for saving the heat.

It always reminds me of those hollywood scenes of factories with dim yellow lights, people wearing helmets and face masks, sparks flying off everywhere with gas cutting or welding and the constant sound of metal on metal.
The sounds are a mixture of sonorous "tang tang" of metal striking metal, the critter and buzz of grinders and the intermittent shouting with most of the communication being done with hand gestures or lip reading.

There is plan to run the Condensate Extraction Pumps(CEP) and the Turbine Bypass valves. So we will be quite busy ensuring the needed protections and monitoring systems for them.
Maybe we'll be staying late at night.
There is plan for synchronization before the 30th of this month because the client is going to save a lot of tax money by declaring this project milestone in the current financial quarter.
Whatever the reason be, its always us who get caught in between these deadlines. Luckily, this time we have sufficient staff and manpower so things will go smoothly without any delays. But there are unforesenn things, You never know when a small cog in the wheel decides to go its own way and the whole bandwagon comes to a standstill. Hope nothing of this sort happens.

I am afraid this post won't make much sense but I just want you to feel this situation I am in. The machinery at work and all the human effort going into it at different levels is a quite fascinating process. Everybody keeps asking questions.
The welders, fitters and other workers are generally from distant places and have no idea about the power plant but they know that something big is round the corner and that they may well get a break when its over.
"Sir kab tak ho jayega sincrozation?"(When will the synchronization get over?)
"Sir bijli paida kab karne lagega plant?"(When will the plant start producing electricity?)
"woh line humne jod diya hai, nahi fatega aap chinta mat kariye?"(That weld is complete, don't worry, it won't leak?)

These are not nice places to be at. Accidents happen, Machines fail, People die but the work doesn't stop.
The last site I was at was near Jhansi. The work there got delayed after our control room caught fire and then the Chimney being built by NBCC(National Building Construction Corporation) collapsed.
Thats the reason I am here now.. :o
Thats a funny story too. Later..:)