95% project sites, all staff, assets in West Asia safe; it’s business as usual: L&T Deputy MD Sarma

L&T confirms 95% of its West Asia project sites are safe, while addressing logistics challenges amid ongoing regional conflicts.

Even as West Asia is witnessing aerial attacks and counter-attacks as well as destruction of oil infrastructure and other vital assets over the past three weeks, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Group, which has about 100 live sites as well as yards and other facilities in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman said 95% of the sites in the region were safe and it was business as usual.

Also, all its employees, their family members and workers under contact were safe and no one had been evacuated from this region, which was the company’s second home, a top company executive said.

“I am glad to say that while the developments are unfortunate, we have 100 sites operating as the group of which roughly 95% are working as business as usual,” said Subramanian Sarma, Deputy Managing Director and President, L&T, on the company’s first reaction since war broke out in West Asia.

“There is no disruption on those 95% of the sites. There are about 5% of the sites which are suspended or disrupted because they are closer to the army bases and either we have chosen to suspend that because we saw that risk was little bit too much or in few instances the customers have recommended us to suspend the operation for some time,” he said.

“By and large the business is going well. The safety and security of our people in the region are important. Next priority is the safety of the assets, and both these aspects are kept in mind,” he emphasised. 

About the 5% impacted projects, he said damage had been made to parts of either transmission lines in some other areas which were closer to the military bases.