Curriculum Vitae

Shri B J Vasoya

Born on November 13, 1929 in Jamnagar (Gujarat), Shri Bhagwanji Jethabhai Vasoya, FIE, obtained his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the M S University, Baroda (now Vadodara) in the year 1953. He then worked till 1979 with the Public Works Department, Government of Gujarat, in various capacities and was responsible for investigation, design and construction of a number of earthen dams, masonry dams, bridges, canals, etc. He then worked as the Chief Engineer and the Joint Secretary to the Government of Gujarat, Department of Irrigation, from 1979 to 1987. He successfully handled the Sardar Sarovar Project on the river Narmada, which is the single-largest canal project in the world for 86 lac acres of land under command for designing the world’s biggest canal system of 40,000 cusecs. Shri Vasoya was responsible for design of the canal system with automatic operation for the main canal and with hydraulic operation for the major branch canals, along with the manual operation for the distribution system. He was elevated to the rank of Secretary to the Government of Gujarat, Department of Irrigation, in the year 1987 and got superannuated the same year. Since then till 1995, Shri Vasoya has also worked in various capacities, such as the Advisor, Department of Water Resources, Government of Gujarat; as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Gujarat State Construction Corporation; and also as the Chairman of the National Environmental High Power Committee of the Government of India. The Committee had contributed a lot in finalizing the standards and norms for environmental impact assessment with regard to setting up irrigation and power projects in the country. Shri Vasoya, in consultation with M/s Stup Consultants of India, M/s Leonard Andra of Germany and M/s Freeman Fox of UK, designed the world’s longest road-cum-railway bridge in the sea across the Gulf of Cambay in Gujarat having 45 feet-high tidal waves. The toll tax from the bridge was capable to recover the cost of the bridge and also to finance the 200 km-long drinking water pipeline, from the river Narmada to the draught-prone areas in the Saurashtra, carrying nearly 150 million gallons of water per day. The Government of Gujarat had also deputed Shri Vasoya as One-man Commission to review the project proposal from a Dutch company for providing navigation in the river Narmada and the Narmada main canal. Shri Vasoya is presently the Chairman of the La-V-Jay and Associates Private Limited, Ahmedabad and also of the Tricot International Limited, Ahmedabad. Shri Vasoya has been associated with the Institution in various capacities, such as the Founder Member and also the Chairman of the Saurashtra Local Centre of the Institution; Chairman of the Gujarat State Centre of the Institution (1992-1994); Chairman of the Water Management Forum – a peripheral body of the IEI (1996-2002); and a sitting member of the IEI Council representing the State of Gujarat. He is a widely travelled person, having visited countries like France, Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, USA, UK, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, Singapore and Malaysia, on various assignments.