Brijesh Dixit, Managing Director, NMRCL uses technology as an imperative and key factor in the multi-crore, large magnitude project of Nagpur Metro Rail. He has proven himself to be a tech visionary in the sense of using a technology as advanced as 5D BIM along with an integrated SAP ERP, right from the inception of the project. The speed of implementation of this Metro Rail is a proof of his far sightedness.
In an interview with Brijesh Dixit, he reveals how paying attention to technology and using infrastructure technology judiciously has helped in setting a new benchmark for such future projects of the country.
Why do you think there is a need for Metro and how can it impact a city?
Metro rail services are provided within the confines of a city, which must have been a village at some point and it sprawled and became a city. When a city sprawls further you need effective transportation system. The buses cannot handle a lot. They create nightmares in the form of congestion, pollution etc. Bus services have too many stoppages. Trains stop at fewer stations and have a higher speed. Mumbai is Mumbai because of its rail services.
Using a technology as advanced as 5D BIM integrated with SAP ERP and selection of Highbar Technologies as implementation partner has been a remarkable preparation. What made you chose and implement technology from the very start of this mega-project?
Experience has showed us that the projects of big magnitude and such large infrastructural projects take 8-10 years because of procedural formalities, technical and financial requirements should happen in a systematic and orderly fashion. Implementation starts almost 5 years after the project is conceived. And it mostly doesn’t get completed in the stipulated time. Earlier this was the trend because there was no other alternative. However, Information Technology brought in a lot of efficiency. Today if you see the projects there are many challenges related to time, cost and changes in design which add to the delay. We want flawless infrastructure and it should be good to look at and it should last. We encounter the problem of lack of funds and that is because the original limit has been exceeded and the revision process starts when the work actually stops. Technology has brought in financial efficiency, time efficiency and they have reduced our spending. 5 Dimensional Building Information Modeling is a specifically helpful tool for analysis and design. It helps in reducing design and drawing time. It helps in making estimates. It reduces the burden of voluminous work. A few changes that need to be made sometimes takes months manually, which can be done instantly with 5D BIM. It allows carrying out simulations and ‘what if’ analysis. We at Nagpur Metro have integrated 5D BIM with SAP ERP supported by Owner support office. This digital platform of 5D BIM integrated with SAP ERP is implemented by our technology partner Highbar Technologies along with the responsibility of Owner’s Support Office (OSO). Once this digital platform is up and running it will be a very unique, pioneering and innovative thing in India. It will provide new way of project management enabling mega projects to be more efficient. In India it has not yet picked up to a level which it needs to. All this makes a huge difference in the operation and maintenance stage of project.
The technology helps at every stage. The project of this magnitude requires a project office which will have at least 300 people to get off the ground. The recruitment, training and building of office space for them itself is a very long tedious and time consuming process. With technology we are able to cut short all that and move ahead.
Would you use this technology again in your future projects?
Most Certainly! For Nagpur metro this would be the USP. We would like to share this other experience and knowledge with other infrastructure agencies, departments and other arms of the government so that it spreads as much as possible.
For projects of this magnitude, revenue usually comes from more than just the fare box. Can you elaborate on the sources of revenue for this project?
The fare box will not be the only source of revenue for Nagpur metro. Usually fare box is not capable of providing for the sustenance in the long run. In our case, we have investment from KfW Germany and AFD France. We have to make sure we have enough to pay for operation, maintenance and debt servicing. Public utilities are supposed to be affordable to people. Ridership will depend on affordability. So there is a limit up to which you can increase the fares. There are three sources of non-fare box revenues for us – Increase of FSI and the revenue from the premium of that, increase the stamp duty and increase in the developmental charges which are levied by the local government for real estate projects will also be ploughed back. Capturing the land value is also a very potent source. As you develop and make metros etc the land value increases as well because people start coming to that area. So it creates value. Metro should be the first to capture this value rather than anyone else. That is what we are trying to do.
Can you explain how Nagpur, as a city, will benefit from this project?
This project is set to improve Nagpur’s transportation infrastructure. Nagpur Metro will not only make the daily commutation comfortable but will change their way of life.. Our cities are suffering with a problem of urban sprawl. There is a need for vertical growth in such cities. Transit oriented development is the need of the hour. Nagpur is in for a long infrastructural up gradation. The stations will be multi-storied with airspace development as well. All this will transform the city.
What are the expectations people have from this project?
World class stations are being created in Nagpur Metro and we have already planned the first 20 storey station in India where the train would enter and leave the building. So far, two such stations are being planned. It will also have space for development of offices, hotels, retail etc. That will be on PPP. We will only finalize the architecture. For this we won’t be fixing a time limit.