We won a closely fought bid for installation of two bio-medical waste incinerators in the hill city of Shimla. The work involved not only manufacture and supply of two large incinerators along with chimneys, it also included civil work.

There was no problem with making the incinerators and chimneys but we were unaware of the extent of civil work until after the contract was signed. And when a team went to visit the site to finalise the civil contractor, we were taken to the site by the person in charge from the client`s side. Everywhere there were beautiful sights to behold, especially when you view from the top. At one such slope of a hill, we were stopped. We got down, absorbed the view and were ready to leave, but the client was still waiting and beckoned us to join him to see the actual site. What was in front of us was a lot of open space from all angles. There was nothing there except a slope and we were expected to construct a building here to house the two incinerators! It was practically a cantilever concrete structure. Even the chimney`s foundation had to be made on sloping ground. It was unexpected, fascinating and challenging.

Fortunately we got hold of a civil contractor who was well versed with the terrain of the hill city and he readily agreed to do the job, but on his price and terms. We had no choice.

The civil work was completed in time and so was the manufacture of the incinerators. We despatched the machines and it really became challenging to erect the chimey on the slope with the help of a crane which had very little foot hold.

The job was eventually done and we selected an engineer from the nearby city of Chandigarh. He was trained at our Works and given charge of the operation and maintenance of the two incinerators. O & M was part of the contract, for at least 3 years. This young engineer made everyone happy with his knowledge and commitment and gave no grounds for any complaint.

After successfully running the systems for 3 years, the machines were handed over the client.

The purpose of this write-up is to highlight the difficulties and challenges in setting up incinerator facilities in difficult terrains and the satisfaction one derives after completing the task successfully, making one forget the trying times and experiences.