Intercontinental
Consultants and Technocrats Pvt. Ltd. (ICT), is a leading
International Consulting Organization specializing in Highways, Structures,
Airports, Urban and Regional Infrastructure Development, Water Supply, Water
Resources Development and Management, Traffic and Transportation, Ports and
Tourism, Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building, and, Socio-Economic
and Environmental Impact Assessment.
People
working there are very professional and they are very helpful as well. They had
a department-wise schedule for us that we were supposed to follow from the
very first day of our joining including our signature on the attendance sheet
sharp at 1800 hrs. We were given an opportunity to learn as much as
possible about “Transportation” and to make this journey useful for us, they
made us visit five different departments over there.
The
first department to start with was Surveying
Department. The basic or the key step to start any project in Civil Engineering
is surveying. It is required in the planning and execution of nearly every form
of construction. In our case surveying was required for locating the
various topographical features on the real ground and getting the coordinates
using GPS technology for designing the highway alignment. We performed
Traversing using Total Station. We had never used those instruments
before. I feel so lucky that we actually used all those instruments.
The
other week we headed for the Traffic
&Transportation Department. That was one of the most memorable weeks of
my life because there we got a chance to learn so many things about traffic
that a common man cannot even imagine. In this department we did various kinds
of studies and surveys related to traffic like number of lanes to be provided,
type of interchanges in alignment of highway. An important part of
transportation department is traffic engineering, which is phase of
transportation engineering that deals with the planning, geometric design and
traffic operations of roads, streets, and highways, their networks, terminals,
abutting lands and relationship with other modes of transportation. Now days
they are developing one software known as RADAR (Road Accident Data
Recorder). In India, the cases of road accidents are increasing day by
day. But due to the lack of information regarding the accident, we could never
find out the actual reasons behind this. To prevent these cases this initiative
is being taken. With the use of this software the data regarding any accident can
be recorded efficiently for further use. During our internship in ICT, we saw
the working prototype of the software tablets that are being tested in some
parts of Delhi by Delhi police.
We
were walking out of Traffic and Transportation Department and “Highways” Department was already waiting
for us. Here we learnt about the designing vertical and horizontal alignment of
highway and the factors governing the widening of road whether it has to be
eccentric widening or concentric widening or when to adopt a bypass. The cross
sectional element and drainage to be provided is based upon the number of lane
for which a road is designed. Here we got see the latest software that are used
for designing. I wish to become a professional in highway designing in the next
coming 7 year.
We
now entered in the PMG (Pavement Material& Geo-synthetics) department. This
division mainly consults with the pavement design required for the particular
project in ICT. The drawings prepared in ‘HIGHWAY DIVISION’ are then passed to
the pavement division with all the traffic surveys data, based on that data and
referring to the IS codes design of
pavement is done. ICT has its lab situated at Faridabad near Delhi. We did all
the tests which are necessary for design. Various lab tests like, testing of
materials to be used for construction, soil testing on the field, water tests,
bitumen tests, concrete tests etc., are really important for the construction
purposes. ICT lab plays an important role in the functionality of the work
properly as whole of the design is dependent upon the lab testing.
Then moved to our second last department which
was Bridge Department. This was the most fascinating department for which I
eagerly awaited but the designing part was beyond our scope since it requires
lot experience and expertise. Therefore we did not get to learn very much. The
guide there was extremely helpful and he still explained us about different
types of foundation in bridges and different components of bridges.
And finally we entered into their last department and that was Quantity and Cost Estimation. This
department in ICT is broadly concerned with contracts, measurement and costs on
construction projects. The methods employed, however, cover a range of
activities which may include cost planning, value engineering, value
management, feasibility studies, cost benefit analysis, life-cycle costing,
tendering, valuation, change control, dispute resolution, claims management,
project management and cost estimation. The team comprises of various expertise
in drafting and interpretation of contract documents, to settle issues, value
the works fairly and regularly, project final costs, avoid disputes and ensure
the effective progress of a project.
Thank you so much ICT
for giving me such a great learning opportunity.
plz edit and re-post in proper fonts.
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