Dr. Anumolu Ramakrishna started his career in 1962 with the Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd, then a wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Ltd. ECC is now widely known as ECC Construction Division of Larsen & Toubro. In 1966, Government of India sponsored him for practical training in Structural Engineering in the erstwhile German Democratic Republic.
He obtained in his Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering from Andhra University and M.Sc. in Structural Engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai. His specialised knowledge in structural engineering—precast and prestressed concrete and industrialised methods of construction—has been recognised through scores of projects. Andhra University conferred upon him Honorary Degree of Doctorate of Science in 1997 and in 2004 Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, honoured him with Doctor of Philosophy.
After serving in various capacities Dr. Ramakrishna was inducted into the Board of Directors of L&T in 1992 and was appointed as operational head of the ECC Construction Division. He provided the leadership for the construction of scores of cement plants, steel plants, power projects, refineries and petrochemical complexes besides outstanding buildings, roads, bridges, harbours, airports, water supply projects and nuclear power plants. He was elevated to the position of Deputy Managing Director in March 2000 and retired in 2004.
Dr. Ramakrishna was associated with many International and national bodies like American Society of Concrete Contractors, American Society of Civil Engineers, International Federation for Structural Concrete and Institution of Engineers (India). He played an important role in founding of Industry associations such as Indian Concrete Institute, Construction Industry Development Council, National Academy of Construction, Construction Federation of India, etc.
Due to his long association with engineering and construction, he is widely recognised as an authority in construction. Dr. Ramakrishna is credited with introducing in India system formwork, which has improved concrete forms and raised productivity levels at construction sites. His pioneering role in application of pre-cast, pre-stressed and tunnel form techniques has given the much needed technology dimension to Indian construction. This has helped the industry meet challenging timeframes, adherence to quality and costs and actively contribute to the country’s overall economic progress.
More than a decade ago when the Central and State Governments were slowly moving away from their traditional role of being infrastructure ‘providers’ to becoming infrastructure ‘facilitators’ and ‘regulators’ Ramakrishna took the lead in implementing projects under the public-private partnership. Notable PPP projects executed by L&T under his leadership include the HITEC City in Hyderabad, Kakinada Deepwater Port, Jaipur-Kishangarh Expressway and Bengaluru International Airport.
As a step in the direction of segmenting the large construction industry based on individual strengths, Dr. Ramakrishna actively advocated Grading and Rating of contractors. He believed that competition within equal groups would bring about realistic prices and facilitate healthy development by ensuring jobs for all. He always emphasised industrialised construction through standardisation of designs, application of modular concepts, application of mechanised forms of construction and development of innovative construction materials.
Dr. Ramakrishna was inspired by the vision of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to make India a developed nation by 2020.
Ramakrishna won many awards. To name a few; Award for Outstanding Concrete Technologist-1993 from Indian Concrete Institute; Prestressed Concrete Design Award-1995 from Institution of Engineers (India); 2007 Hassib Sabbagh Award for Engineering Construction Excellence from the World Federation of Engineering Organisations; etc.
Dr. Ramakrishna, the doyen of Indian Construction Industry died on August 20, 2013.
