anil_cogent
March 22nd, 2005, 08:45 PM
Building A Tunnel
When tenders were floated for the channel tunnel to connect England &
France, many international building companies vied with one another to
get
the contract. The stakes were very high, the job of digging building
expertise.
Tenders were opened by the Board of Directors of the Anglo-French
corporation which had taken on the project. British builders' estimates
were
over 200 million dollar, each, French and German builders were
marginally
lower.
There was one from India: Singh & Singh Builders whose estimate was
only 5 million dollars. The Board was for ignoring the Indian tender but out
of curiosity invited Singh & Singh over to discuss the plans.
Banta Singh & Santa Singh of Singh & Singh Builders appeared before the
Board.
The Chairman asked them "Have you any experience of undertaking this
kind of
work?"
"Indeed we have," replied the two Singhs, "we bored a lot of tubewells
in
the Punjab & Haryana. We can bore holes anywhere."
"This is not as simple. How will you connect the tunnel from the
English
side to the French?" "Simple," replied Santa Singh, "Banta Singh will
dig
from the French end and I from the English."
The Chairman was flabbergasted. "You don't realise that it will need a
lot
of accurate calculation to get the two tunnels to meet at the same
point
under the channel. Other companies' estimates are over 200 million
dollars
each & you think you can do the same job for 5 million dollars. How
will
that be possible?"
"What is bothering you?" demanded Singh and Singh, "if our two tunnels
don't
meet, instead of one we will give you two tunnels.
When tenders were floated for the channel tunnel to connect England &
France, many international building companies vied with one another to
get
the contract. The stakes were very high, the job of digging building
expertise.
Tenders were opened by the Board of Directors of the Anglo-French
corporation which had taken on the project. British builders' estimates
were
over 200 million dollar, each, French and German builders were
marginally
lower.
There was one from India: Singh & Singh Builders whose estimate was
only 5 million dollars. The Board was for ignoring the Indian tender but out
of curiosity invited Singh & Singh over to discuss the plans.
Banta Singh & Santa Singh of Singh & Singh Builders appeared before the
Board.
The Chairman asked them "Have you any experience of undertaking this
kind of
work?"
"Indeed we have," replied the two Singhs, "we bored a lot of tubewells
in
the Punjab & Haryana. We can bore holes anywhere."
"This is not as simple. How will you connect the tunnel from the
English
side to the French?" "Simple," replied Santa Singh, "Banta Singh will
dig
from the French end and I from the English."
The Chairman was flabbergasted. "You don't realise that it will need a
lot
of accurate calculation to get the two tunnels to meet at the same
point
under the channel. Other companies' estimates are over 200 million
dollars
each & you think you can do the same job for 5 million dollars. How
will
that be possible?"
"What is bothering you?" demanded Singh and Singh, "if our two tunnels
don't
meet, instead of one we will give you two tunnels.