Newsletter June 2012 - Association of Engineers Kerala

Er.Jayaprakash P.R.
9447489544
Er. Unnikrishnan.R
9447076989
Er. Hashim P.A.
9447114353
Er. Ansar K.K.
9447570541
STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2012
President
Gopakumar.D
9447037015
Joint Secretary
Abdul Hameed K
9995024989
Er. Muhammed Ashraf.A
9447276692
Er. Gopalakrishnan Achary.P
9447800205
Vice President
Ravindran N
9447428940
Treasurer
Rajendran Nair K.
94473 50628
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Er. Radhakrishnan P.M.
9447117044
Er. Anil Kumar R.
9447176655
Er. Shibu R.S.
9447014641
Er. Susheel I.V.
9446058473
Er. Pantaleon K.J
9447832783
Er. Alexander.P.Abraham
9447011563
Er. Vijayakumar .V
9847060683
Er. Binu V.V.
9446568946
Er. Chandran C.
9447188009
General Secretary
Alexander P.J.
9446146931
Editor
Vinod Mohan. S
9447023352
Er. Shamsudheen M V
9447709877
Er. Sreekumar M.
9447128737
Er. Radhakrishnan Nair.G
9446862414
Er. Nisad A.A.
9447348073
Er. Renji
9447414988
Er. Nadeer. A
9447726830
Er. Sathyendran.K.P
9447078633
Er. Varadarajan.V
9447074390

Association Association of of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
President’s Dreams
December 31, 2011 is a red letter day in
my life, the day on which I was elected as the
State President of Association of Engineers Kerala.
Our association is a unique one with a
membership of almost 3000 engineers belonging
to the three major Departments of Government
of Kerala- PWD, Irrigation and Local Self
Government. So it is an ocean of talent and if
tapped properly, it can totally change the face of
our god’s own country. As the President of this
great Association, it is a huge responsibility to
streamline the activities to obtain the optimum
output for the upliftment of the society. I know
very well the constraint in the timeframe available
to me, but with the support and involvement of
all members, I am sure that we can make a
beginning in the right direction.
Association can take a lead role in planning,
drafting and presenting a shelf of projects in each
District for the infrastructural development of
that locality. At present engineers involvement
in this aspect is very nominal. We should be the
backbone of the Government. We should be able
to present before the policy makers sustainable,
ecofriendly, economical and viable projects.
District centres of the association can play a vital
role towards this by conducting brainstorming
sessions,technical discussions with engineers from
various departments etc.,. in the district level.
The emerging ideas can be synthesized and
submitted before the policy makers of the state
for final approval and implementation. In the case
of multi-district projects, the Central Committee
can coordinate the entire process. This is one of
the major contributions the association can do for
the society.
Updating of technology is one of the most
neglected areas in our departments now.
Association is planning in a big way to update our
engineers by way of organizing seminars,
conducting tours to various countries in order to
get an exposure to the latest developments in
technology, inviting experts in various engineering
fields to the meetings etc. I am sure that these
activities will definitely help to qualitatively improve
the performance of our engineers.
Association is also taking initiatives to impart
training on accounting and establishment matters
to all members as part of the orientation
programme. Training sessions on public speaking
and communication skills are also on the anvil.
I am delighted to disclose that we have got a
group of very vibrant and dedicated engineers in
our state committee and each one of them are fully
involved in the implementation of various activities
entrusted to them.
I take this opportunity to place on record my
sincere gratitude and appreciation to Er. Vinod
Mohan, our editor, for the excellent work he has
done for releasing this newsletter. My best wishes
to all the members of this great Association for a
very happy, prosperous and a purposeful year ahead.
D. GOPAKUMAR
President
1

Association Association of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
Pathanamthitta
One General body meeting and an executive
committee meeting was conducted at PWD Rest house,
Thiruvalla in the month of April 2012. In the meeting
Viswesarayya Medal winners and Annual sports meet
participants and winners were congratulated. Review
of Membership campaign of Association of Engineers
Kerala was done. In the meeting, the general body
congratulated Er.P.K Rajeev on his promotion to the post
of Superintendent Engineer. Er. Mohanbabu P, EE, Roads
was unanimously elected as new President of AOEK
Pathanamthitta District committee to the vacancy arises
due to the transfer of Post President Er. John.J.
Elankunnam.
Alappuzha
The general body meeting was held on 15th Mat
2012 at Pagoda Resorts Alappuzha. The general body
acknowledged and honored eminent engineers retiring
2
General Secretary Speaks
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News from District Centers
from service, Er. P Anil Kumar (Chief Engineer, Irrigation),
Er V. Vijayakumar (Suptd Engineer, PWD), Er Jagath
Prakash (Assistant engineer, PWD) . Er P. R Jayaprakash
(President District Centre) Er A. Nadeer (Secretary,
District Centre) Er Annie Mathew, Er Sreenarayanan, Er
R. Venugopal, Er Shoukkoor, Er Joseph Scaria, Er K.P
Haran babu spoke on the occasion.
Kollam
The members and family of the Association and
Engineers club Kollam met on 10/02/12 & 31/05/2012 at
Engineers Club Kollam .The gather appreciated Ms
Aarathi Krishna.S D/o Er. S. Sudhi Kumar, Assistant
Engineer, Irrigation being the GOLD MEDALIST for the
VISWESWARAYYA AWARD for Xth ICSE and Er. A. Cini,
Assistant Engineer, Public works being the BEST
ENGINEER for the year 2011 of our Association. And
more, the winners of Kaliyattam 2012 -Er. Sinilal.G &
Joy Ashok for their outstanding performance on Shuttle

Association Association of of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
badminton and Er Sunil. S for his unbeatable track record
in 1500m walk etc were appreciated during the function.
The gather acknowledged the valuable services of our
members Er. P. Anil Kumar (Chief Engineer, Irrigation),
Er Koshy John (Suprenting Engineer, PWD) Er. Samson
Lawrence (Executive Engineer, PWD), Er. K.S Ashokan
(Assistant Executive Engineer, PWD) and honored them
who retired from Service on 31/05/2012. Er T.M
Raveendranath , Er Rajasekharan Nair. R, Er P. J Daniel,
, Er Ramesan Achary.T, Er E. S Wilson, Er R. Venu gopal,
Er Sirajudeen. A, Er Vinayan. D, Er Jayakumar T. K, Er
Jayachandra Babu, Er Sinilal. G, Er Suresh Babu. D, Er S.
Vinod Mohan, Er Unnikrishnan Nair. G, Er Zeenath. A etc
spoke during the functions.
Malappuram District
Chamaravattom RCB dedicated to the Nation.:-
On 17/05/2012, the largest Regulator Cum Bridge in
Kerala was dedicated to the nation by Hon Chief Minister
Oommen Chandy at 4:00 pm. The project ensures
irrigation facilities to 4344 Ha of agricultural land.
Ponnani & Tirur municipalities and fourteen panchayaths
are benefited by this. Nine lift Irrigation projects are also
supplemented by this project. The other major benefit is
the shortening of Kochi- Kozhikode route by 40km. The
structure is 978m long and 7.5m wide with footpaths of
width 1.5m on either sides. The regulator comprises 70
shutters of 12m X 4m. The retention height of the
reservoir is 4 m.
Kannur
Engineers Voice- released at Kannur
The news letter named -Engineers Voice- from AOE
Kannur District Centre was released by the State
President Er. D Gopakumar on 17th April 2012 in a function
About About Our Our W WWeb
W eb
organized at Kannur. Er. M K Sebastian, SE, Project Circle,
Kannur received the first copy of the newsletter. The
function at the Engineers’ centre was presided over by
the District President Er. P J Thomas. The News Letter
will highlight the activities of the Kannur Centre and give
members an opportunity to actively participate in the
association activities. It will also give opening to the
members to express their views, literal works, technical
papers, members’ personal and family matters such as
birth days ,anniversaries, personal achievements etc.
Kanivu from Kannur
On 01/03/2012 the Kannur Centre has started charity
works for the society and commenced its functioning.
The pragram is named as Kanivu. Er. P K Joy, former
president of the district centre extended the first
contribution to the fund.
Thrissur
Thrissur District Centre had three executive
committee meetings in the months of January, March and
May. In addition to this, the annual general body meeting
was held on 17/02/2012 in Association’s hall following a
family meet. “Kaliyattam” winners were honored in this
gathering. The following members were elected as the
office bearers of the centre for the year 2012.
President : Er. A.N. Rajan, EE, Irrigation,
Vice President : Er. K.T. Bindu, AEE, PWD
Secretary : Er. E.I. Sajith, AE, PWD
Joint Secretary : Er. M.S. Babu, AEE, Irrigation
Treasurer : Er. C. Nataraj, AE, LSGD
Vigorous groundwork is being done to host next
engineers’ day celebration here on 15th the September 2012.
eb - www.associationofengineers.com
Our web site is now fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. Please visit it daily and
stay updated with Association’s activities. Suggestions on modifications/sprucing up the website
are always encouraged wholeheartedly. The news and upcoming events of the district centres
and any other matter relevant to the Association may immediately be sent to the web administrator
to the following address.
Er. C.V. Sureshbabu, sureshbcv@gmail.com, 3/401, Chakkadath, Ollukkara. P.O,
Thrissur – 680 655, 9995444195
3

Association Association of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
Notification
Notification
4
VISVESWARAYYA MEDALS 2012
The State Committee of the Association of engineers Kerala has decided to award Gold Medals to the chilren
of members who tops the Kerala Engineering Entrance Exam, All India Engineering Entrance Exam, IIT Entrance
Exam and only to those who gets admitted in any Enggineering colleges/IIT
Accordingly Application in the prescribed form are invited from members for the award of Viveswarayya
Medals for 2012. Applications duly filled up along with an attested True copy of the Admission card shall be forwarded
to the General Secretary so as to reach him on or before 10.08.2012
Address: Er. P.J. Alexander, A.E.E. Buuilding, Sub-Division, Perimthalmanna , Ph: 9446146931
1. Name of Student :
2. Date of Birth :
3. Sex :
4. Name of Member :
5. Life Membership Number :
6. Official Address :
7. Name of examination &
Rank Obtained :
8. Name of College/Institution in which the :
student got admitted
9. Signature of student :
9. Signature of Member :
11. Attested True copy of Admission card :
Place:
Date:
APPLICATION FORM
( Application without Life membership No & Attested copies of Admission card will not be considered under any
circumstances. Please not)

Association Association of of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
Refresher
Refresher
The Right to Information Act, 2005
The concept of an open government is the direct
emanation from the right to know which seems to be
implicit in the right of free speech and expression
guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of
India. No democratic government can survive without
accountability and the basic postulate of accountability
is that the people should have the information about
functioning of government. It was in this context that
Indian Parliament enacted the landmark Right to
Information Act 2005. The Right to Information Act came
into force on the 12th of October, 2005. The Act extends
to whole of India except Jammu and Kashmir. The Act is
applicable to all Institutional authorities, bodies
established or constituted by an Act of Parliament or
State Legislature, or by order or notification of Central/
State Governments. It also applies to bodies owned,
controlled or substantially financed by Government
directly or indirectly.
The main objective of the RTI Act, 2005 is to ensure
transparency and accountability in the working of every
Public Authority in the country and to eliminate the
scourge of corruption. The Act mandates a legal
institutional frame work for setting out a practical regime
of right to information for every citizen to secure access
to information held by or under the control of public
authorities. This is a path-breaking legislation that
enables the country to break from the colonial legacy of
secrecy, which is anathema to a democratic system.
Section 4 of the RTI Act provides for mandatory/
pro-active disclosure of information by the public
authorities. The information required to be disclosed
includes particulars of organisation, including functions
and duties, rules, regulations, instructions, manual of
records followed for the discharge of functions, directory
of officers and employees, including their monthly
remuneration, its annual budget, details of subsidy
programmes and conclusions, and its beneficiaries,
particulars of Information Officers and Appellate
Authorities, etc.
A citizen who desires to obtain an information under
the Act is required to make an application before Public
Mr. Jayachandran K. R Deputy Secretary (Rtd), KSEB
Information Officer/Assistant Public Information Officer,
as provided in section 6 of the Act. Where the request is
for information, which is held by another Public
Information Officer or the subject matter of the
application is more closely connected with functioning
of another office of same public authority. The application
shall be transferred to concerned Public Information
Officer immediately which shall not exceed 5 days of
receipt of application, under intimation to the applicant.
The RTI Act gives the citizen the right to obtain
information as held by or under the control of Public
Authority. Seeking explanation, Clarification,
Interpretation, Redressal of grievance, Questionnaires,
etc. are not contemplated under the Act. If a request is
so exhaustive that it would divert the resources of the
Public Authority,The Public Authority may make
arrangements to allow the applicant to inspect
documents/records and to make down notes and copies
as required by him. When the request for information is
rejected for any reasons under sections 8(1) or 9, it is
mandatory to provide reason for rejection, the period
within which appeal could be preferred and particulars
of Appellate Authority.
The RTI Act has prescribed fee for submission of
application and the cost for providing information. The
fee can be accepted as court fee stamp, demand draft,
banker’s cheque, remittance through Government
Treasury and as cash payment against proper receipt. No
fee shall be charged from the persons who are below the
poverty line as may be determined by appropriate
Government. Block Development Officers and Secretary
of Municipality/Corporation are authorised to issue
Certificates to BPL category citizens residing to the
respective areas. The Public Information Officer should
supply the information within 30 days of receipt of request.
An applicant can file an appeal to the first Appellate
Authority in the Public Authority if Information is not
supplied to him within the prescribed time limit or not
satisfied with the information provided by PIO. If the
Appellate Authority fails to pass an order on the appeal
5

Association Association of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
within the prescribed period or if the appellant is not
satisfied with the order of the Appellate Authority, he may
prefer a second appeal with the Information Commission.
Where the Information Commission at the time of
deciding the complaint or appeal is of the opinion that
the Public Information Officer has without any reasonable
cause, refused to receive an application for information
or not furnished information within the time specified,
or malafidely denied the request for information or
Thought Thought of of the the day
day
The most discussed topic, now a days, among the
Service personnel is the PFRDA bill (The Pension Fund
Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, 2011). Let
us have brief note on how the New Pension Scheme (NPS
) as envisaged in PFRDA bill differ from present General
pension Scheme. Our present pension scheme is a Defined
Benefit Scheme( DB system). The pension amount is
linked to the pay drawn, number of years of service etc.,
and there is no direct contribution of the employee or
employer towards a pension fund. Here the entire
investment risk is borne by the pension fund manager
which is the government.
Traditionally, a large proportion of pension funds
around the world have been of the DB type. However,
many have been under funded, and some have collapsed
6
knowingly given incorrect, incomplete or misleading
information or destroyed information, it shall impose
penalty of Rs. 250/- each day till information is furnished
subject to the condition that the total amount of penalty
shall not exceed Rs. 25,000/-
The ultimate aim of Right to Information Act is to
have well informed citizenry, which is aware of its rights,
and well trained officers of Public Authorities who are
aware of therir duties and functions under the Act.
Present Pension Scheme vs New Pension Scheme ( PFRDA Bill)
Er S. Vinod Mohan, (Editor)
Defined Benefits versus Defined Contribution
due to lack of proper financial planning. This has led to a
debate in a number of countries regarding the
sustainability of their pension and social security systems.
The New Pension Scheme as envisaged in PFRDA bill is a
Defined Contribution System (DC system ). Here each
employee contributes a proportion of his monthly income
to an individual account. The funds in this account are
invested in one or more schemes offered by pension fund(s).
The balance in the account belongs to the employee, which
will be accessible at the time of exit. The employee bears
the entire investment risk and there is no risk of default by
the fund as the liability of the fund to its subscriber equals
the assets owned. Here lists some advantages and
disadvantages of the DB and DC system.
Defined Benefits Defined Contributions
Guaranteed retirement income Participants have more choice in investing
Employees do not bear investment risk Participants can benefit from better returns
Advantages Flexibility for inflation and wage
adjustments
Plans are easily portable across job changes
Independent of participant’s savings Option to switch fund managers and schemes
No risk of default by fund managers
Not beneficial to employees who leave
before minimum eligible service
Returns are subject to market performance
Less portable in switching employers Participants bear investment risk and may make
Disadvantages misinformed choices
Fund manager could default if funds are
not invested appropriately
Difficult to build a fund for those who enter late
Shifts administration costs to employees
Source PRS

Association Association of of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
Technical echnical Updates
Updates
INTRODUCTION
Application of Geosynthetics and
Modern Materials under Kerala Context
Kerala has been experiencing drastic failures in the
behavior of pavements, coastal erosion structures,
embankments, hydraulic structures etc. Although the
failures are usually attributed to the heavy rains in the
state and left as such the basic defects in the public works
scenario is not usually discussed. Although the other
states in India are overcoming such situations by adopting
modern methods and materials the technical setup in
the state is not responding to the modern materials and
construction methods basically due to the following
defects in the system. The public works scenario in Kerala
has been revolving around the same axle and is observed
to be very reluctant to adopt any changes .Changes are
happening in the technical, social ,financial, political and
other spheres but the machinery of the public works is
observed to be moulded in rigid and concrete moulds
which are not susceptible to any changes. The technical
challenges popping up frequently are moulded into the
same typical type designs and standard data book
patterns resulting in the distorted performances and
failures attracting very harsh criticism from the public.
The reluctance or the basic defect of the existing system
shows an indifferent attitude to any modern methods
although the situations warrant for introduction of the
new systems. Only the conventional materials and
methods of constructions are found adapting to the setup
which requires a total revamping. It is to be accepted
that the State is experiencing torrential rains during the
monsoons and the monsoons are spread for a major
portion of the year. The design approach on the public
utilities like pavements, coastal protections and
embankments has to be in this context and the required
paradigm shift has to be applied. It is a fact that the
behaviour of the natural soil is subject to serious behavior
problems under hydraulic situations. Adequate filter
K.P. Ahammed Basheer
Chief Engineer, Irrigation Dept.
media separating the natural bed and the structure for
preventing behaviour of the soil bed affecting the
structure is to be used. The failure of conventional filters
in use has been identified as the cause for the total failure
in many and the modern materials like geo-synthetics
has to be experimented and evaluated for Kerala
conditions.
GEOSYNTHETICS
Geo-synthetic is defined as a planar, polymeric
(synthetic or natural) material used in contact with soil,
rock or any other geotechnical material in civil
engineering applications Geo-textile a generic member
of geo-synthetic family is a planar, permeable, polymeric
or natural fibre textile material used in contact with soil,
rock or any other geotechnical material in civil
engineering applications. A geotextile can be woven by
interlacing two or more sets of yarns, fibres, filaments,
tapes or other elements. It could be nonwoven obtained
in the form of manufactured sheet, web or batt of of
directionally or randomly oriented fibres, filaments or
other elements with either mechanical and /or thermal
and/or chemical bonding. It could be also knitted,
obtained by interloping one or more yarns, fibres or
filaments.
FUNCTIONS
Geo : synthetics serve the following principal functions:
Separation : in which a geo-synthetic placed between
two dissimilar geotechnical materials, prevents
intermixing.
Filtration : in which a geo-textile allows passage of fluids
from a soil while simultaneously preventing the
uncontrolled passage of soil particles.
Drainage : in which a geo-synthetic may collect and
transport fluids in its own plane Reinforcement - in which
by virtue of the tensile characteristics, a geo-synthetic
7

Association Association of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
resists stresses and contains deformations in
geotechnical structures.
Barrier : in which a geo-synthetic acts as a barrier to
liquid/gas. In addition, geo-textiles serve the following
functions:
Protection or cushioning : in which a geo-textile serves
as a localized stress reduction layer to prevent or reduce
damage to a given surface or layer.
Surface erosion control : in which a geo-textile may
prevent the surface erosion of soil particles due to surface
water run-off and/or wind forces.
Geo-textiles are available in a variety of structures
and polymer compositions designed to serve a wide range
of applications involving one or more of the above functions.
Depending on the application they need to be strong,
durable with chemically durable polymeric materials that
are resistant to the effects of ground conditions, weather
ageing and construction survivability requirements and
resistance to temperature/ultra-violet exposure.
APPLICATIONS
Table 1 gives a general application summary of the
various geo-synthetic products.
GEOTEXTILES IN PAVEMENTS OVER SOFT SOILS
In pavements, particularly over soft soils,
placement of a geo-textile serves principally as a
separator, apart from functioning towards lateral
restraint, bearing capacity increase and membrane
tension support. As a separator it does not allow soft
subgrade soil to intrude into the sub base and
simultaneously does not allow sub base aggregate to
penetrate the soil subgrade. Thus contamination of the
sub base (also called fouling) is not permitted. To study
these effects, extensive studies have been carried out at
IIT Delhi through triaxial testing on composite specimens
and model studies. From the model studies, it was
evident that up to 88% permanent deformation is
reduced due to geo-textile inclusions. Also the apparent
resilient modulus shows improvement. The test results
also indicate that a geo-synthetic inclusion may save more
than 40% of WMM base course thickness. Whereas in
soft subgrades (CBR8%), the function of
geo-textile is likely to be essentially of separation. The
method of installing separation geo-textiles with ease is
well described by McKeown and Nelson (1999).
8
GEOTEXTILES IN OVERLAYS
Introducing a layer of geo-synthetic at the interface
between the old pavement and the new overlay, thought
in the early years, was thought to reinforce the overlay,
but research has now shown that the benefits are stress
relief and water proofing (de Bondt, 1999). Non-woven
geo-textiles, which generally have high elongation and
low tensile strength, are commonly used to stress relief
and hence do not resist the movements that cause crack
propagation. To reinforce, the interlayer must hold the
crack together and dissipate the crack propagation stress
along its length. Many materials are now in vogue to
serve this eminently ñ with polyester, fibre glass and
polypropylene.
INDIAN EXPERIENCE
Geo-synthetics have been extensively used in road
and airport flexible pavements and in overlays. In unpaved
roads(having no blacktop), introducing a very thin nonwoven
geo-textile is found to be of advantage for soft
subgrades primarily through separation (thus minimizing
pumping) and partly through reinforcement. The Central
Road Research Institute, NewDelhi, has undertaken
several trials using geo-textiles for road underlays in the
rural and command area roads of Gujarat and
Maharashtra, over black cotton soils. In Maharashtra,
near Satara geo-textile/geogrid combination has been
used in State Highways for overlays in black cotton soil
areas. Introducing bitumen impregnated non-woven
geo-textiles is also known to improve the pavement
behaviour in case of reinforced surface dressing as well
as flexible overlays - the improvement primarily being
brought about through impermeability. Strips of
indigenous bitumen impregnated needle-punched geotextiles
have been successfully used in Madurai and
Ahmedabad runways as earlylas1985. Their use is
believed to have helped in controlling the cracks. After 2
years of installation, only micro-cracks were noticed
whereas in untreated sections cracks began to appear.
Recently (1995) they have also been used in overlaying
the runway at Chandigarh airport. Heavy duty geocomposites
can be put to use in strategic locations when
heavy vehicles can directly move over them. Geosynthetics
are thus a great boon for ease in construction
over soft soils well as for long term performance of road
pavements. Geo-synthetics also has been used in the
Calicut bye-pass of NH17 It is also widely used for the

Association Association of of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
construction of sea walls by Irrigation Department in runway and the performance is under observation. Non-
Kerala As per Uniyal(2001), Geo-textiles have been used woven polypropylene geo-textiles have been used (in the
at several airfields during 1995-98 on trial basis to delay year 2000) in the parallel Taxi Track of Delhi airport in
reflection cracking. At number of airfields cracks have widths of 95 to100 cm over expansion joints, construction
been stated to have appeared within 2-3 years. It was joints and crack surfaces while executing a flexible overlay
also stated that this could be due to the fact that the over distressed rigid pavements. In India, geo-textiles
geo-textiles used were in strips of 30 cm and the overlay are yet to be utilized in a big way for road applications.
thickness was thin (4-6 cm).Both these factors did not However, in conjunction with geo-grids, they are used in
effectively distribute/dissipate tensile stresses and strains geo-grid basal mattress in Andhra Pradesh in State
developed in the pavement underneath the resurfacing Highway projects and as a filter in geo-grid reinforced
effectively. According to Uniyal, recently, geo-textile
layers have been used at 2 airfields in full width of the
walls and in edge drain, for a project on NH-8 by NHA1
Table 1 GEOSYNTHETIC APPLICATION SUMMARY
Application Primary function Products
Sub-grade/Pavement Stabilization Filtration Separation Reinforcement Geo-textile/geo-grid
Railroad Track Bed Stabilization Drainage Separation Filtration do
Asphalt Overlay Stress relieving layer Waterproofing do
Soil Reinforcement Embankments Steep Slopes Vertical walls
Subsurface Drainage (French Drains) Filtration Geo-textile
Land Fills Separation Filtration Drainage Reinforcement Barrier
REFERENCE: Proceedings of the international workshop on Geo-synthetics and modern materials in coastal
protection and related applications 6-7 AUGUST 2010 at IIT Chennai
Happy Happy desk
desk
The child and his mother:
A curious child asked his mother: “Mommy, why are some of your hairs turning grey?”
The mother tried to use this occasion to teach her child. “It is because of you, dear.
Every bad action of yours will turn one of my hairs grey!” The child replied innocently.
“Now I know why grandmother has only grey hairs on her head.”
Wrong email address:
A couple was going on vacation but his wife was on a business trip. So he went to the
destination first and his wife would meet him the next day. When he reached his hotel, he decided
to send his wife a quick email. Unfortunately, when typing her address, he mistyped a letter and his
note was directed instead to an elderly preacher’s wife whose husband had passed away only the
day before.
When the grieving widow checked her email. She took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing
scream, and fell to the floor in a dead faint. At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this
note on the screen:
Dearest Wife,
Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow.
9

Association Association of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
Technical echnical Updates
Updates
Now a days scheduling and project controls
consultants are equipped to provide proactive and
forensic consulting services utilizing the most recent
construction management technology. Primavera is
one among the many best tools the project consultants
use in communicating, planning and analyzing a project’s
scope and schedule. Developed by Primavera
International, Inc., Primavera is an advanced project
planning tool which allows consultants to effectively plan
and execute work prior to project kick-off. By integrating
a project’s cost and schedule prior to commencement,
consultant can identify and eliminate future delays and
cost overruns from occurring.
Primavera benefits include
� Plan and schedule projects quickly and easily
� Identify all critical paths within a project by using float
path analysis
� Integrate schedules from engineering, architects,
subcontractors and owners to create a master
program schedule
� Easily create attractive and fully customizable
graphics including Gantt charts, Activity Network
Diagrams, Time-scaled Logic Diagrams and
Histograms.
� Quickly plan for the upcoming day, week or month to
ensure everyone knows what they are responsible
for
� Control budgets, changes and estimates at
completion to ensure a successful project delivery
� Allocate resources to activities using distribution
curves to accurately reflect how the work is
performed
� Analyze changes between versions of schedules with
Claim Digger to understand the progress that has
taken place in the update period
� Improve collaboration by quickly emailing entire
projects with the click of a button
10
Primavera Project Planner in Construction Management
Er. S Vinod Mohan
Editor
� Exchange data seamlessly with all Primavera
scheduling products, Primavera Contract
�
Management and Microsoft Project
Communicate status to general contractors,
subcontractors, owners and other project team
members via customizable industry standard reports
� Coordinate labor, material, equipment and
subcontractors to ensure on-schedule, on-budget
completion
� Quickly compare your baseline budgets to the actual
costs and work performed while maintaining
independent versions of cost to complete estimations
� Store actual cost, units, earned value and planned
value by customizable financial period, so you can
compare current and future trends
� Create unlimited “what-if” scenarios to explore
alternatives
� Break activities down into smaller weighted steps and
track the completion of the steps to determine the
activity percent complete
� Document risks and calculate risk exposure values
and impacts on the project’s schedule, costs, and
durations
� Log issues that are known problems within a project
plan that require attention or corrective action; email
issue details, along with your notes and the issue’s
history, to any member of the project’s staff
� Build thresholds for tolerable project performance
and get notified when performance is outside of the
acceptable performance window.
� Leverage best practices by using your templates and
completed projects to build new projects
� Perform earned value analysis by using past
performance to predict a more accurate cost to
completion
Courtsey- Internet

Association Association of of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
Know our new members since January 2012
1 2911 Sreenivasan S V Assistant Engineer Alappuzha
2 2910 Saran A S Assistant Engineer Palakkad
3 2909 Augustine Assistant Engineer Kozhikkode
4 2908 Asokan C V Assistant Engineer Palakkad
5 2907 Sheeja Kumari S S Assistant Engineer Palakkad
6 2906 Jiji Kumari MG Assistant Executive Engineer Kollam
7 2905 Mary Philip Assistant Executive Engineer Palakkad
8 2904 Pia De Dora P Assistant Engineer Palakkad
9 2903 Rajeena M Assistant Engineer Palakkad
10 2902 Rekha S L Assistant Engineer Kollam
11 2901 Joykutty P Assistant Engineer Palakkad
12 2900 Shareen Beegam Assistant Engineer Malappuram
13 2899 Madhavan A Assistant Engineer Malappuram
14 2898 Maohammadali P Assistant Engineer Malappuram
15 2897 Pradeep Kumar M K Assistant Engineer Pathanamthitta
16 2895 Joseph Paul K Executive Engineer Palakkad
17 2894 Goplakrishnan P Superintending Engineer Calicut
18 2893 Gireesh Kumar V Executive Engineer Calicut
19 2892 Gitsy Thomas Assistant Engineer Pathanamthitta
20 2891 Sheela S Assistant Engineer Kollam
21 2890 Sudha MS Assistant Engineer Thrissur
22 2889 Harish Kumar D Assistant Engineer Kannur
23 2888 Umavathy K Assistant Engineer Kannur
24 2887 Sheela Chandran Assistant Engineer Kannur
25 2886 Smitha P P Assistant Engineer Kannur
26 2885 Pushpajan C K Assistant Engineer Kannur
27 2884 Money P S Assistant Engineer Palakkad
28 2883 Smitha Balakrishnan Assistant Engineer Palakkad
29 2882 Arunlal K Assistant Engineer Kollam
30 2881 Rahul K Assistant Engineer Kollam
31 2880 Manual Manoj Assistant Engineer, WRD Ernakulam
32 2879 Vinayadas N A Assistant Engineer Kottayam
33 2878 Ahmad Kabeer P U Assistant Engineer Pathanathitta
34 2877 Reji Philip Assistant Engineer Kottayam
35 2876 Pradeep P Assistant Engineer, WRD Kottayam
36 2875 Baiju PB Assistant Engineer
37 2874 Raveendran M I Assistant Engineer, PWD Kannur
Continued....
11

Association Association of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
12
Government of Kerala
Abstract
PWD-Estt.-Liaison Officer of Public Works Department in the Advocate Generals Office, Ernakulam-delegation of
power to swear in Counter Affidavits and Extension petitions -general-Orders issued
Public Works (A) Department
G.O.(Rt.) No. 737/2012/PWD dated 25.09.03
Read : 1. G.O.(Rt) No. 951/2003/PWD dated 25.09.03
2. Letter No. EA2/4502/2012 dated 12.03.2012 from the Chief Engineer (Administration), PWD,
Thiruvananthapuram
Order
As per Government Order read above, a Liaison Office of Public Works Department if sanctioning in the office of
the Advocate General, Ernakulam with a liaison officer in the rank of Assistant Executive Engineer, Assistant Liaison
Officer (Head Clerk), a clerk, typist and a peon, But powers for swearing in extension petitions/Counter Affidavits,
appeal/review petition to be filed before the Hon’ble High Court on behalf of Chief Engineers/ Government has not been
delegated to the Liaison officer till date.
2. As per letter read above the Chief Engineer (Administration) has requested to extend the delegation of swearing
affidavits before the Hon’ble High Court on behalf of the Chief Engineer and for the department to the Liaison Officer.
3. Government have examined the matter and are pleased to order that the Liaison Officer is authorized to swear
Extension petitions and Counter Affidavits on behalf of the Engineers of other officers under them.
4. The Liaison officer is also authorized to file affidavits on behalf of the Government as and when necessary, on
specific authorization by Government.
(By Order of the Governor)
P.H. Kurian
Principal Secretary to Govt.
Continued....
38 2873 Abdulla E K Assistant Executive Engineer
39 2872 Ravindran E N Assistant Engineer
40 2871 Subhashithan T Assistant Engineer
41 2870 Sudheer K Assistant Executive Engineer
42 2869 Giridharan Nair S R Assistant Executive Engineer
43 2868 Ekalavian P. K Executive Engineer
44 2866 Sindu T S Assistant Executive Engineer
45 2865 Muhamad Basheer Abdulla Assistant Executive Engineer
46 2864 Santhosh Kumar A Assistant Engineer
47 2863 Salim L S Assistant Executive Engineer
48 2862 Raveendran Pillai B Assistant Engineer
49 2861 Kunhiraman Nair C Assistant Engineer
50 2860 Manoj M K Assistant Engineer
51 2859 Babu M S Assistant Engineer
52 2858 Raveendran P Assistant Executive Engineer
53 2857 Krishnan C J Assistant Engineer
54 2856 Dideesh C Assistant Engineer
55 2855 Ajayan C Assistant Engineer

Association Association of of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
GOVERNMENT OF KERALA
Abstract
Finance (Inspection Wing – Technical) Department – Submission of Reports to the Chief Technical Examiner – Revised
Orders – Reg.
FINANCE (INSPECTION WING – TECHNICAL) DEPARTMENT
G.O.(Rt)No. 2459/12/Fin. Dated, Thiruvananthapuram, 22-03-2012
Read : 1. Circular No. 9/2009/Fin dated 09.02.2009.
2. G.O.(Rt) No. 4938/09/Fin dated 20.07. 2009.
3. G.O.(Rt)No. 9290/10/Fin dated 30.12.2010.
ORDER
As per circular & G.O.s cited above, all road surfacing materials/earth work are to be reported to the Chief
Technical Examiner.
Subsequent to the issue of the above G.O.No.3., and based on the difficulties experience by field units certain
modifications are proposed.
Government after examining the case, is pleased to issue the following orders in super session of the G.O.No. 3
cited above:
1. Report of materials for Road Work
Material Collection Reports in respect of materials for road work viz. broken stone having a total agreement
quantity of 100 m3 and above, based on stack measurements, should be reported to the CTE by registered post/ speed
post of India Post with acknowledgement due / E-mail.
2. Report of initial levels
Initial level of each item of work should be reported before commencement of the item of work as noted below:-
(a) Earthwork cutting/filling, quarry muck filling, rock cutting, dredging and reclamation, having agreement
quantity 300m3 and above, by registered post / speed post of India Post with acknowledgement due / Email.
(b) Road work items viz. GSB, WMM, BUSG, BM & BC (except WBM) having agreement quantity 100m3 and above
by telegram.
Explanatory Note:
(i) In case of W.B.M the materials shall be stacked and reported to CTE as stipulated in para – 1 above
(ii) GSB, in cases where mixing in place is stipulated, shall also be stacked and reported to CTE as stipulated in
para – 1 above.
3. Report of Final Levels
The final levels should be reported on completion of the work, in all cases where the initial levels are reported to
CTE. The report should be submitted by Registered Post of India Post within 30 days of completion of the item of work.
4. Agreements of Road works in combination with cement concrete works
In the case of road works combining culvert/drain/retaining wall/ concrete works where there is consumption of
broken stone, all broken stones for road work and concrete works in the agreement shall be stacked and reported to the
CTE as directed in para – 1.
5. Material clearance report
(i) Part supply of materials for road work may be resorted to only in cases where it is unavoidable due to
specific site condition and where the quantity under that item in the agreement exceeds 100m3.
(ii) The reason for reporting part supply of materials has to be clearly indicated in the material collection
report. The location/chainage/identification mark where the materials are stacked is to be clearly noted in
the report.
(iii) Material clearance report in the proforma enclosed has to be submitted vide registered post / speed post to
the Chief Technical Examiner, soon after consuming the materials reported and acknowledgement obtained.
13

Association Association of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
14
Any further supply, in the same location indicated in the material collection report may be made only after
time period as below from the date of dispatch of material clearance report.
a) 3 days for works upto 3.00 lakhs
b) 5 days for works more than 3 lakhs and upto 15 lakhs
c) 7 days for works above 15 lakhs
(iv) In the case of road works where the two layer of WBM (sub base & base) is involved, material clearance
report of the Ist shall be sent to the CTE, before commencement of the collection of materials for the 2 nd layer
as stipulated (iii) above.
6) Date of spreading / commencement of work
(i) The commencement of work / spreading of materials noted in the preceding paras shall be only after the
time period as per 5 (iii) above from the date of dispatch of the report excluding the day of sending report
and any intervening holidays in the case of Registered Post / Speed Post of India Post / E-mail.
(ii) In the case of report by telegram noted in the preceding paras, the work shall commence only after two days
of sending the telegram excluding the day of sending telegram and any intervening holidays.
(iii) Any difficulty in adhering to the para 5 (iv) procedure may brought to the attention of the Chief Technical
Examiner by concerned officer not less than the rank of Executive Engineer.
7) Report of Civil and Electrical works in connection with VVIP visits
(i) All barricades put up in connection with VVIP visit shall be reported to the CTE, by telegram on completion of
the work.
(ii) The barricades may be dismantled only after three days of sending the telegram excluding the day of sending
telegram and any intervening holidays.
(iv) The list of all works taken up (with estimate cost) in connection with VVIP visits, shall be reported to CTE,
two days before the VVIP visit by speed post of India post.
(v) The list of all electrical works taken up in connection with VVIP visit, may be sent by FAX on completion of
the work and a confirmation copy of the letter may be sent by Speed Post.
(vi) The reports in connection with VVIP visits are to be submitted by the concerned Executive Engineers.
Explanatory Note for submission of report:
(i) The mailing address should be written on the back of the report, folded properly (instead of sending inside
an envelope) and mailed. If more than one report is sent at a time, a covering letter indicating the total
number of reports and its details are to be attached along with the reports sent.
(ii) Separate register may be kept in the office of dispatch, as record of sending the above reports by registered
post / speed post / E-mail / Telegram to the Chief Technical Examiner and the acknowledgement received by
Post / E-mail pasted to the same record, which may be produced for verification by officials of Finance
Inspection (Technical – Wing)
(iii) Total agreement quantity in para 1 means the sum of quantities of various broken stones stipulated in the
agreement.
(iv) Initial level of superimposed items shall not be reported on fictitious levels. Initial level of superimposed
items noted in Para 2 may be submitted only after completion of the underlying layer.
(v) Proforma of Material Collection Report FIW (T) (Form – 1) Level Report FIW (T) (Form – 2 / Material Clearance
Report FIW (T) (Form -3) enclosed.
(vi) The details to be submitted in Telegram for items of work in Para 2 are Name of work / Location / Item
reported / Agreement quantity / Reported quantity (words and figures).
(vii) E-nail address of Chief Technical Examiner will be published in due course.
(BY ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR)
S.J. VIJAYADAS,
Assistant Chief Technical Examiner
Chief Technical Examiner – in – charge

Association Association of of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
GOVERNMENT OF KERALA
Absract
FINANCE DEPARTMENT SPEEDY DISPOSAL OF UNSERVICEABLE ARTICLES AND SEIZED / CONFISCATED VEHICLES LYING IDLE IN
VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED-
FINANCE (EXPENDITURE . B) DEPARTMENT
G.O(Ms)No. 223/12/Fin. Dated, Thiruvananthapuram, 17/04/2012.
Read : G.O. (Rt) No. 3792/10/Home. Dated, 20/12/2010.
ORDER
As per the decision of the Council of Ministers vide proceedings dated, 11/01/2012, the Chief Secretary and the
Principal Secretary (Finance) were empowered to formulate guidelines for the speedy disposal of unserviceable
articles and seized/confiscated vehicles lying idle in various departments through auction.
2. Accordingly Government have examined the matter in detail and are pleased to issue the following instructions
for the speedy disposal of unserviceable articles and seized / confiscated vehicles.
a) A committee will be constituted under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary, comprising of ACS (Home), Principal
Secretary (Finance), Law Secretary, Secretary (Taxes), Secretary (Transport), State Police Chief, Land Revenue
Commissioner, Excise Commissioner, Transport Commissioner and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. The
Committee will review the progress of disposal of vehicles on a monthly basis.
b) The procedure of fixation of fair value of vehicles taken charge of / confiscated / seized by the Police as
stipulated in G.O (Rt) No. 3792/10/Home. Dated, 20/12/2010 is made applicable to Transport Department. Excise
Department and Forest Department. The following officers are empowered to fix the fair value of such vehicles
in their respective Departments (in place of Deputy SP(MT) and SP(MT) respectively in the above Government
Order).
Transport Department – RTO and Joint Transport Commissioner.
Excise Department – Deputy Excise Commissioner and Joint Excise Commissioner.
Forest Department – Divisional Forest Officer and Assistant Conservator of Forests.
c) For disposal of scrap, a Fair Value Fixation Committee will be constituted in each Department with
the Head of Department, Finance Officer, Administrative Officer and a Technical Expert as members.
d) The financial delegation of powers in respect of Auction / scrap disposal ordered in G.O(P)350/08/
Fin. Dated, 06/08/2008 is enhanced as follows:
To Administrative Department – the power is enhance to Rs. 15 Lakhs (from Rs. 5 Lakh).
To head of Department – the power is enhanced to Rs. 5 Lakh (from Rs. 1 Lakh)
The District Officers are newly given power to auction upto Rs. 2 Lakh.
e) Steps will be taken by the departments to introduce E-auction / E-tender for disposal of confiscated
vehicles.
By Order of the Governor,
V.P. JOY,
Principal Secretary (Finance).
15

Association Association of of Engineers Engineers Kerala
Kerala
16
Happy Happy desk
desk
Humorous Arithmetic
Jokes are funny, but you may know what they say: “There is half of truth in a joke.” So ask
yourselves are this humorous arithmetical equations are just for laughs … or there is more to them?!
Equation 1
Human = eat + sleep + work + enjoy
Donkey = eat + sleep
Therefore:
Human = Donkey + Work + enjoy
Equation 2
Man = eat + sleep + earn money
Donkey = eat + sleep
Therefore:
Man = Donkey + earn money
Therefore:
Man-earn money = Donkey
In other words
Man who doesn’t earn money = Donkey
Equation 3
Woman= eat + sleep + spend
Donkey = eat + sleep
Therefore:
Woman = Donkey + spend
Woman - spend = Donkey
In other words,
Woman who doesn’t spend = Donkey
To Conclude:
From Equation 2 and Equation 3
Man who doesn’t earn money = Woman who doesn’t spend
So Man earns money not to let woman become a donkey!
And a woman spends not to let the man become a donkey!
Therefore:
Human-enjoy = Donkey + Work
In other words,
A Human that doesn’t know how to enjoy =
Donkey that works.
So, We have:
Man + Woman = Donkey + earn money + Donkey
+ Spend money
Therefore from postulates 1 and 2, we can conclude
Man + Woman = 2 Donkeys that live happily together!