Friday, June 23 2006 12:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: The strengthening of the Koyna dam, a pivotal hydroelectric power project in Maharashtra, has been completed in a record time of 21 months and three months ahead of schedule.

A landmark project of the Indian civil engineering sector, the fortification has increased the storage capacity of the dam by 6.5 thousand million cubic feet (TMC ft) of water from the current gross storage capacity of 98.78 TMC.



Soma Enterprise Ltd (SEL), one of India's leading infrastructure companies, made use of high technical skills and planning and worked round the clock to execute the project.



The state government has presented an award of excellence to Rajendra Prasad Maganti, chairman and managing director of SEL, for this unique accomplishment, the company said in a statement.

The project was awarded to SEL in a joint venture with SSHPR of Russia by the Maharashtra water resources department at a cost of Rs.940 million.



Maganti says, "The innovative engineering and expertise deployed by us to execute a project of such complex nature affirms our strong project management capabilities.



"We have yet again completed a project ahead of schedule, which reflects our dedication and commitment towards building infrastructure for the country," he said.



The Koyna dam is the lifeline of Maharashtra as it accounts for two-thirds of the hydroelectric power capacity of the state. It is located in Koyna Nagar, nestled in the Western Ghats on the state highway between Chiplun and Karad in southern Maharashtra.



The dam had developed visible cracks after a major earthquake in 1967.

Strengthening of the overflow portion of the dam was undertaken to make it safer and better equipped to face possible high intensity earthquakes in the future.