Hyderabad Metro | PM Modi expected to flag off metro services on Nov 28

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Hyderabad Metro | PM Modi expected to flag off metro services on Nov 28

Hyderabad: Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao on Monday informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to launch the Hyderabad Metro Rail on November 28.

The final confirmation is awaited from the Prime Minister’s Office. However, with the Prime Minister’s confirmed visit to the city on November 28 for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, the Metro Rail could also be inaugurated on the same day.

Previously, KTR said that feeder services connecting residential colonies to the Metro Rail stations will include both electric vehicles and conventional buses that will be operated to cover a distance of three to four kilometres from the stations.

The Minister at the valedictory session of the 10th Urban Mobility Conference in Hyderabad stated that bicycles also will be available at the stations to promote cycling and encourage eco-friendly transportation mode.

Bangalore Metro | BMRC to sign a € 300-m loan deal with AIIB

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Bangalore Metro | BMRC to sign a € 300-m loan deal with AIIB

Bangalore: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) is expected to finalise a 300-million loan (Rs 2,275 crore) from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in the next two days. The loan will have a 15-year tenure and comes with a 2.2% rate of interest.

The Beijing-headquartered bank is owned by several Asian countries and India is its second largest stakeholder. The BMRCL’s response follows AIIB’s offer of loan to fund Phase II of the Namma Metro project on reasonable terms.

The AIIB team has already had four rounds of discussions with BMRCL officials in Bengaluru. A BMRCL delegation led by managing director Pradeep Singh Kharola is in Beijing to close the deal. The final round of negotiations is scheduled for Nov 8-9.Once the terms are finalised, the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) of the Union government is expected to sign the finance contract in about two months paving way for the flow of funds.

The Luxembourg-based European Investment Bank (EIB), which is cofinancing the project along with AIIB, has committed a loan of 500-million (Rs 3,770 crore).

The DEA and EIB signed the contract for the first tranche of 300 million last month for reach six (R6) of Metro Phase II. This apart, BMRCL has also borrowed 200 million (1,508 crore) from AfD, France. All these loans have flowed in through the DEA channel.

Phase II is being financed jointly by EIB (500 million) and AIIB (300 million). The project envisages extension of east-west and north-south lines covering a length of 72 km, including the underground length of 13.8 km. The project will have 61 stations with 12 underground. The project is implemented over a five-year period from the date of launch.

The BMRCL has estimated Phase II to cost Rs 26,000 crore. Of the project cost, 60% will come from loans, while the Union and the state governments will chip in the rest by equally sharing the project equity . Work under Phase II is progressing in full swing, Kharola said. The BMRCL, he added, will complete the first reach next year and has targeted to complete Phase II in 2020.

The work on both Kanakapura Road and Mysuru Road extensions are according to schedule and will be completed next year.

The spinoffs of the project, a DEA press release last month said, would include job opportunities, a drop in the number of vehicles on road, reduction in air pollution, faster travel and improvement in the aesthetic value of the city, among others.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, at a conference on Saturday, mentioned how Bangalore Metro is pursuing innovative ways to finance its project by trying to capture the land value that are going to be benefited by the project.

Mumbai Monorail halts services due to fire in a monorail, no casualties

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Mumbai Monorail halts services due to fire in a monorail, no casualties

Mumbai: A monorail train caught fire at Mysore Colony station in Chembur on Thursday morning. Services have been stopped immediately after the incident took place, and are likely to resume only in the afternoon.

Sources said that the fire broke out at 5.20 am and was brought under control in around 40 minutes. Three fire brigade vehicles were rushed to the spot to put it out.

Mono Rail fire

As it was early morning, there was no rush at the station when the fire broke out. No commuters were injured.

On condition of anonymity a fire brigade official said, “Prima facie, it looks like the fire was caused by a short circuit.”

Currently, the Mumbai has one monorail line which runs along a 9 km route, covering seven stations, from Chembur to Wadala. The trains run from 5am to midnight daily.

MEGA Metro | Hyundai Rotem bags contact for supply of 96 metro cars

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The METRO-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmadabad (MEGA) has awarded Hyundai Rotem a US 159 m contract to supply 96 metro cars for Ahmadabad Metro Line 1.

The metro cars will be assembled at Hyundai Rotem’s plant in Changwon, Korea. Delivery of the ordered cars excepted between April 2019 and July 2020.

The first phase of the metro network in Gujarat’s largest city comprises the 20.7km Line 1 from Vastral Gaam in the east to Thaltej Gaam in the west, and the 18.5km north-south Line 2 from Motera to APMC. Construction began in 2015 and Phase 1 is due to be completed by 2023.

Delhi Metro | DMRC appoints Daljeet Singh as Director (Works)

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Delhi Metro | DMRC appoints Daljeet Singh as Director (Works)

New Delhi: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has appointed Mr. Daljeet Singh as Director (Works). The post was lying vacant after resignation of former Director Mr. Jitender Tyagi who took charge of Uttarakhand Metro Rail Corporation (UMRC).

Daljeet Singh DW
Mr. Daljeet Singh, Director (Works), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

Mr. Singh is a civil engineer who did his B.Tech from I.I.T. (BHU) Varanasi and M.Tech. from I.I.T. Kanpur . He joined CPWD in 1988 through Indian Engineering Services (IES) exam and was posted in various wings of CPWD. He also worked with DMRC from 1998 to 2014 and held various roles and position.

In DMRC, he was involved in the construction of first Delhi Underground Metro Corridor from Central Secretariat to Vishwavidyalaya (11 Km) of Phase-I during 1998-2004.  He was also involved in the construction of I.T. Park buildings as a part of DMRC Property Development and ‘Metro Bhawan’, the Headquarter building of DMRC.  He was involved in the design and construction of 15 Km Elevated Corridor from Qutab Minar to HUDA City Centre under Phase-II, design and construction of 13 Km Underground Metro Corridor from Kalkaji to Vasant Vihar under Phase-III of Delhi Project.

Mr. Singh, before assuming charge as Director (Works) of DMRC, was working as Director (Works & Infrastructure) in Lucknow Metro  and  was involved in the planning, design and construction of 23Km of North-South Corridor of Phase IA of Lucknow Metro Project. He was instrumental in commissioning of Priority corridor of 8.5 km in less than three years.

The Economic Times Smart Mobility Summit 2017 | Nov 27-28 2017 | New Delhi

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The Economic Times Smart Mobility Summit 2017 | Nov 27-28 2017 | New Delhi

As one of the pillars of economic development for any country, the transportation network is critical to the national infrastructure. With Indian transportation industry growing at a CAGR of 15 percent and a budget outlay of almost Rs. 4 trillion in the next fiscal in creating and upgrading transportation infrastructure, India’s transportation sector is undergoing a boom. However, it has frequently been a source of greenhouse gas emissions and a major cause of concern for the government as they are trying to reduce the carbon footprint to address environmental issues and decrease their dependence on oil as a source of fuel. India is still following BS IV as against EURO 6 implemented in European countries, which is equivalent to BS VI.

The Second Auto Fuel Vision and Policy 2025 notified by Government of India in May 2014 lays the map for fuel emission norms up to 2025. In order to adopt the latest emission standards, Government of India has decided to completely skip BS V norms and has announced to adopt and implement BS VI norms from April 2020.

Therefore, besides vehicular technologies and emission norms, other two important factors to be considered in India for reducing carbon emission are periodic inspection, maintenance of in-use vehicles and better road and traffic management. All this can only be achieved by discussing the latest technologies, government policies, success stories and facing the current environmental situation with complete seriousness.

The Economics Times in association with Metro Rail News is going to conduct Smart Urban Mobility Summit on November 27-28, 2017 in New Delhi, India. The summit aims to lay down a blueprint for the future, driven by innovation and the vision to provide cleaner, safer and faster transportation infrastructure.

The summit is a movement to unite the visionaries who believe carbon emission has no place in the future and going ahead the key is to have smart road and traffic management systems. It is also a platform to showcase success stories from across the world that will inspire the key stakeholders to promote the cause and ensure that everything is being done to meet their respective national goals for smart and green transportation.

The Economic Times Smart Mobility Summit will focus on Hybrid vehicles, KERS systems, alternate fuels, smart parking, its (intelligent transportation system ), tolling, telematics, safety & security, mass transportation, road infrastructure & construction. The increasing demand for vehicles, coupled with citizens adopting a healthy lifestyle and growing environmental concerns will likely makes us adopt to this change for smart green mobility.

As India prepares for the future of transportation which is smart, secure and sustainable, the Intelligent Smart Mobility Awards will honor and recognize the visionaries and early movers who set the precedent and have laid the foundation for the same.

The awards will celebrate the successes and it will highlight the efforts of industry leaders from the government and the private sector from across the region as they help their respective governments and industries to align themselves to their future needs and goals led by innovation and technology.

For more details, please click here to download Event Brochure

Kochi Metro | KMRL looks to boost revenue from property and advertising business

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Kochi Metro | KMRL looks to boost revenue from property and advertising business

Kochi: In what can be seen as a thumbs up from the city’s residents, daily ridership on the Kochi Metro has doubled to 30,000 since the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) threw open in early October a 5-km stretch that extends the network to the heart of the city. Of the 25.6-km Phase 1 project, the first 13-km stretch was made operational in June this year. To be sure, the Kochi Metro, which boasts a number of firsts, and was built at a cost of just over Rs 5,000 crore, is still finding its feet. It does not expect to achieve its target of 300,000 daily commuters for at least five-six years, until its Phase II (11.2-km) becomes operational and a host of initiatives are implemented. Until such time, however, the KMRL is banking on innovative channels to boost revenue. First, on a recommendation from Ernst & Young, KMRL decided against spending on the automatic fare collection system, instead inviting bids from banks in exchange for the right to issue a co-branded card to commuters. The Kochi-1 smart card gives people a discount on tickets. The smart cards can also be used to pay for internet transactions, besides doubling up as a bus and ferry ticket. Axis Bank paid KMRL a premium of Rs 209 crore for the rights to issue the card. The sweetener? KMRL receives 20% of the card charges that Axis Bank bills its customers. Elias George, MD, KMRL, tells Media, “This is not just a transit card or services card. We also get a revenue stream from it.”

Kochi Metro Train

Following Kochi’s example, the Nagpur Metro has tied up with SBI for co-branded cards while the Ahmedabad Metro is also believed to be planning something similar. Second, KMRL plans to auction off to realty developers 17 acres of prime land that it was given as a grant from the government. While KMRL is eyeing about Rs 600-700 crore from the auctions, it would also earn some annual recurring revenue from recreation centres, etc.

The third thing that KMRL has done is to award station naming rights to winning bidders. Already, Chinese company Oppo has been given exclusive branding rights for the Edapally and MG Road stations, for which KMRL is earning Rs 6.60 crore and `5.50 crore per year, respectively. South Indian Bank, too, has picked up a station for Rs 2 crore annually. “The Metro is a new toy, so it attracts a lot of advertising revenue. Station naming rights is a great opportunity,” says George. KMRL is inviting bids for branding opportunities inside the trains as well. With 22 stations that are planned on the 25.6-km route in Phase I, the advertising revenue potential is not insignificant.

In fact, the innovative ways the Kochi Metro is employing to boost revenue could serve as the way forward for other metro systems. While its template could be a ready reckoner for tier-II towns, even metros in big cities stand to gain from it. For instance, the Delhi Metro that continues to make operating losses and has had to double fares since May this year is yet to tap properly the non-fare revenue streams.

Noida Metro | DMRC completes the viaduct on Noida-Greater Noida corridor

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Noida Metro | DMRC completes the viaduct on Noida-Greater Noida corridor

New Delhi: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) today erected the last girder of the Noida – Greater Noida Corridor in the presence of Dr. Mangu Singh, MD/ DMRC, Shri Alok Tandon, MD / NMRC and CEO Noida Authority and other senior DMRC and NMRC officials. With the erection of this Girder, the viaduct of this approx. 30 km long corridor has been completed.

Noida Girdar
(Launching of last Girdar while completing the Noida-Greater Noida corridor)

The Civil Work on this corridor began in May 2015 and the first girder was launched in December 2015 and within a span of 22 months DMRC has erected a total of 2830 Girders (2035 U- Girders and 795 I – Girders). This last U- girder was launched today between Sector 143 and Sector 144 stations of the corridor.

DMRC had successfully executed the task of erecting 200 U-Girders on the Noida – Greater Noida corridor in the month of May 2016. . This is the maximum number of U-girders ever launched in any Metro corridor in India within a month. DMRC used six special trailers to transport the girders and six special cranes of around 350/400 Tonnes capacity to launch the 27 mts long and 5.05 mts wide U-Girders. DMRC had also entered the prestigious Limca Book of Records for this feat and Dr. Mangu Singh was formally handed over the Certificate from the Limca Book of Records on 2nd March 2017.

The viaduct on the NOIDA – Greater NOIDA corridor was constructed by specialised technique of pre-cast pier caps and precast U-girders. The main challenge of girders is precision in casting as well as launching which required specialised cranes of 350/400 tons capacity to launch these girders.  Also, the transportation of girders from the casting yards to the site was another challenge because of its length and width. Accordingly, specialised trailers were mobilised for transporting these girders.

All the Girders were pre fabricated at the two Casting Yards located in Noida Sector 149 and Depot Station in Greater Noida, and each weighed approx. 153 Tonnes.

The Noida–Greater Noida corridor is approx. 30km completely elevated corridor having 21 stations. This corridor is on Standard Gauge and is crossing beneath the Dedicated Railway Freight Corridor. It is also crossing above the Yamuna – Agra Flyover at 21 mts. which is the highest point of the corridor near the Knowledge Park – II metro station. All stations of this corridor will have Platform Screen Doors, Water Harvesting Facility and Solar Panels. The first set of trains has left China and is expected to arrive at the Greater Noida Depot by mid – December 2017.

The entire corridor had lots of challenges like shifting of 400 KV overhead transmission lines, Hindon Bridge, Irrigation drain ands and shifting of other utilities like water lines, gas pipeline, sewers, cables, etc.

This project has been executed by DMRC on behalf of Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) Ltd.  through its civil contractors Continental Engineering Corporation & SAM India Builtwell Pvt. Ltd. Joint Venture along with Design support from Systra, Ayesa and TCPL.

Mumbai Metro | Mumbai citizens decides to move court against elevated Metro 2B corridor

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Mumbai Metro | Mumbai citizens decides to move court against elevated Metro 2B corridor

Mumbai: After holding protests and meetings with officials, residents from western suburbs have been preparing to move court against the elevated metro corridor 2B between DN Nagar and Mankhurd.

The residents’ petition comes after a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed last week by a socio-political activist and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member from Bandra.

According to the committee of activists and experts, who are demanding that the metro 2B line be made underground in Juhu and Bandra (West), citizen groups will be filing two PILs and individual writ petitions by next week.

Anandini Thakoor, trustee of H/W Federation, told media that funds needed for the legal recourse are being collected through funding.

Residents of SV Road had also sent letters of appeal to PM Narendra Modi after carrying out a massive signature campaign that has gained at least thousands of supporters.

Gautam Rao, chairman of Gazdar Scheme Residents’ Trust, said, “Schools, housing societies and religious institutions on SV Road are supporting the appeal for an underground Metro instead of an elevated one. About 20 groups have come forward to help financially.”

BJP member Ajit Manyal, a Bandra resident himself, filed an PIL about a month ago, stating that an underground metro will allow future development.

“I met with the authorities concerned and decided to go ahead with the PIL on my own. The hearing for the same may be held next month.”

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials stated the various technical reasons, including the high cost for an underground corridor, for going ahead with the commissioning of the elevated corridor from DN Nagar to Mankhurd in phases.

Delhi Metro | Mundka-Bahadurgarh corridor trial run starts from December

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Delhi Metro | Mundka-Bahadurgarh corridor trial run starts from December

New Delhi: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) completed construction of long waited Mundka – Bahadurgarh corridor. The trial runs on metro train in this stretch is set to begin in December.

After commissioning of the 11-km-long corridor from West Delhi will make Ballabgarh the third Haryana township in the metros fold, after Gurgaon and Faridabad.

The corridor, which is an extension of the Inderlok- Mundka Green Line (Line 5), is scheduled to be commissioned in June 2018. According to the sources, the stretch will be covered in hardly 45 minutes.

However, it may be delayed if the Haryana Urban Development Authority fails to provide land to the DMRC for laying tracks till a new depot which is coming up at Ballabgarh.

Regardless of that, trial runs on the Haryana portion of the corridor will begin in December. Trials on the rest of the section from Mundka is expected in January.

The corridor, being constructed as part of the DMRC’s Phase III project, will have a total of seven stations, four in Delhi portion and three in Haryana state.

In Delhi, the stations will be Mundka Industrial Area (MIE), Ghevra, Tikri Kalan and Tikri Border while in Haryana the three stations will be Modern Industrial Estate, Bus Stand and City Park. Around 1.43 lakh people are expected to travel on the line daily.

“The alignment of the line will be standard gauge and it will have technical standards similar to the existing metro corridor upto Mundka. So we hope to commission by June provided the land issue is sorted out, which seems to be on track,” the official said.

Another highlight of the upcoming corridor is that it will be the longest straight-line stretch in the history of the Delhi Metro without any bend or twist and turn between Mundka and Bahadurgarh.

Bangalore Metro | BMRC gets poor response from construction companies on Reach 6

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Bangalore Metro | BMRC gets poor response from construction companies on Reach 6

Bangalore: Four construction firms have thrown their hats in for the pre-qualification bids to build the metro’s 13.8-km underground section between Dairy Circle and Nagawara. This is the most expensive portion of work in Phase II, whose total network will be 72.09 km.

Estimated to cost Rs 11,014 crore, work on Reach 6 has been broken up into five packages (including one elevated section between Gottigere and Swagath Road Cross). Bids for the underground section were floated in June this year.

When the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) opened bids last week, the management was taken by surprise by the poor response from construction companies. Although 16 firms bought the tender documents online, only four submitted applications.

The four firms –ITD Cementation India, AFCONS Infrastructure, L&T Constructions and Turkey-based Gulermak -are all engaged in metro projects in different cities in the country.

While L&T has participated only in two underground packages, the other three firms are in the fray for all the four packages in Reach 6.

The poor response is evident when one sees that in the previous bids in Phase 2, there have been at least three to four firms bidding for each package. Even for the elevated stretch of Reach 6 (Gottigere Swagath Road Cross along the Bannerghatta Road), three firms (IL&FS, Simplex Infrastructure and Nagarjuna Constructions) were in the fray.

With only four participants for four contracts (packages), BMRCL will be left with very few options during the technical evaluation process and later, for the financial bids.

“The technical evaluation is time-consuming and takes about two to three months. The financial bids might be opened in December-end or in the first month of next year,“ officials in the BMRCL said. The BMRCL is unlikely to re-invite tenders as the process itself could take a year’s time. “It’s not the number but we want good contractors.Reputed contractors have applied and we will process it further,“ Pradeep Singh Kharola, MD, BMRCL said.

A retired official, who was at the helm of Namma Metro affairs in the past, too believes that the response is good. “It is difficult to get many contractors to apply.Four is a good number,“ he noted.

Lucknow Metro | LMRC bags Dun & Bradstreet Infra Award, 2017 in Metro Rail category

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Lucknow Metro | LMRC bags Dun & Bradstreet Infra Award, 2017 in Metro Rail category

Lucknow: The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) has won the renowned Dun & Bradstreet Infra Award, 2017 in the Metro Rail category for completing the 8.5 km “Priority Corridor” of the North –South Corridor (Phase 1A) and commissioning the project in a record time of less than three year.

This award was received yesterday by Smt. Pushpa Bellani, Company Secretary, Lucknow Metro at a function organised by Dun & Bradstreet Information Services India Pvt. Ltd. at Mumbai (Maharashtra) in the presence of Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport Highways & Shipping and Water Resource, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India who was the ‘Chief Guest’ for the function. This event was attended by dignitaries & industry veterans from key infrastructure sectors such as construction, ports, power, oil & gas, telecommunications etc. It was also attended by different stakeholders, policymakers, financial institutions, industry regulatory bodies etc.

It is yet another credential for Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) which speaks a volume about the quality infrastructure work done for operating a Metro Rail Project in an unprecedented timeline of less than three year while mitigating cost overruns.

Speaking about the award Shri Kumar Keshav, Managing Director, Lucknow Metro said “I am delighted that our hard work and dedication towards completion of the Lucknow Metro Rail Project is being recognised at all levels. This is the result of a great team work which has achieved such a milestone in the area of Metro project execution in the Country’.

Lucknow Metro has earned the distinction of being the fastest ever Metro project construction and execution in the Country so far. No other Metro project in the Country has ever been able to achieve this milestone in such a stiff time-frame. Even contemporary Metro projects have not been able to match up with LMRC’s speed of deliverance and execution. LMRC has, thus, set a new standard and benchmark in Metro Project execution in the Country.

Recently on 31st August, 2017, the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) – one of the apex body in India to rate and certify a system a ‘Green’ system – certified LMRC a ‘Green Metro Rail System’, thereby, awarding platinum certificate to all its Metro stations on the 8.5 km “Priority Corridor” between Transport Nagar and Charbagh. Earlier, in March, 2016 Lucknow Metro was adjudged the Best Metro Project for ‘Excellence in Innovative Designs’ at the 5th Annual Metro Rail India Summit, 2016 organised at New Delhi.

The Dun & Bradstreet Infra Awards is one of India’s leading infrastructure companies and infra awards which acknowledges the importance of infrastructure as a critical driver of the Indian economy and has been actively involved in tracking the progress of this sector for the past few years.

What ‘Acche Din’? Fare hike forced me to dump Delhi Metro : Somrita Ghosh

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What ‘Acche Din’? Fare hike forced me to dump Delhi Metro : Somrita Ghosh

Metro fares have been doubled in just four months, forcing me to give up my favourite mode of transport and take to crowded DTC buses. Besides putting the new fares beyond my budget, I have also been stripped of the safety of travelling in the metro. And I am not the only one.

Somrita Ghosh
Somrita Ghosh, IANS Correspondent and Author

My biggest shock came two days after the latest metro fare hike. I commute daily between Green Park in south Delhi and Noida Sector 16 where I work. As I punched my smart card while leaving the Sector 16 station, my heart skipped a beat – Rs 37 had been deducted from my card.

By the time I reached my office, the mental calculation was already done.

I realised every month I would have to spend double of what I was shelling out only five months ago if I wanted to use the Delhi Metro.

DMRC Voilet Line Trains

When the year began, I was spending Rs 18 on my metro ride – one way. The metro then hiked the fares and my one-way cost shot up to Rs 27. The latest hike had taken it to Rs 37! This was hard for me to digest. The sudden hike of almost Rs 20, that too one way, was surely going to painfully pinch my wallet.

When I landed in Delhi five years ago, my friends advised me to avail of the metro, not just because it is safe for women but comfortable too, never mind the crushing rush during peak hours.

Most important, as I realised very soon, the metro was affordable. It was so cheap that while an auto-rickshaw would charge me a minimum of Rs 25 from my home to the nearest metro station, the metro charged me only Rs 18 all the way from south Delhi to Noida in Uttar Pradesh. This was too good to be true.

delhi metro

Since I came from Kolkata, where the minimum metro fare was only Rs 4 and the maximum Rs 12, Delhi Metro initially seemed costly. But I realised the full story in no time once I started using the Delhi Metro. The infrastructure, service and overall facilities provided by Delhi Metro were far better compared to Kolkata.

Delhi Metro offers free WiFi, its stations have coffee shops and the bigger ones even host fast food chains. Travel is hassle-free despite the odd technical snags that hit the Blue Line that I use.

But suddenly charging a salaried person like me Rs 40 more, or Rs 1,200 a month, just because the metro needs to finance itself better is something I cannot appreciate.

dtc low floor bus

Like numerous others, I have changed my mode of transport.

It is now the DTC buses. The DTC’s frequency may not match the metro’s and DTC rides can be bumpy too, not to talk of unending traffic jams. But do I have a choice?

(The views expressed are personal. The author can be contacted at somrita.g@ians.in. This article has been published in an arrangement with IANS.)

If you have similar story or want to share your riding experience in metro rail in India you can write your story to editor@metrorailnews.in. You can also share your tweets with tag @metrorailnewsin.

Delhi Metro | F’bad Police lodges FIR against two senior metro officers on electrocution case

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Delhi Metro | F’bad Police lodges FIR against two senior metro officers on electrocution case

New Delhi: Finally Faridabad Police lodged an FIR (First Information Report) on today against two senior metro officers against a complaint of negligence in case of death of a metro employee due to electrocution.

The FIR is lodged against General Manager (Electrical) Vivek Agarwal and Addl. General Manager (Electrical) Pankaj Gupta under Section 304 A (causing death due to negligence) and Section 30 (loss of valuable asset) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at Surajkund police station.

FIR AGAINST GM ELECTRICAL 001FIR AGAINST GM ELECTRICAL 002

Anish Choudhary, 24-year-old Delhi Metro employee was electrocuted at a RSS (Receiving Sub-Station) in Faridabad while carrying out some repair work on 25KV insulators. The accident occurred when someone switched on the equipment without warning. Anish Chaudhary suffered severe burn injuries and died in hospital. The incident took place on intervening night of 28/29th October 2017 when Chaudhary , stationed as an on job trainee (OJT) at a sub-station near Neelam Chowk in Faridabad.

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Anish Kumar (Photo: Facebook)

Witnesses said Chaudhary had checked whether the connection to the unit had been switched off before climbing on a pedestal to repair it. However, someone apparently switched on the power accidentally, and the shock was of such magnitude that Chaudhary remained stuck to the frame for some time.

Hearing his cry for help, someone switched off the supply and managed to pull him down. Chaudhary had lost consciousness by then.

He was rushed to Appolo Hospital, Sarita Vihar New Delhi, which referred him to Safdarjung Hospital where he died during treatment on 2nd November 2017. A Delhi Metro employee, Ravi Kumar, said access to the unit where he was working was restricted to seniors. There is a major lapse on the part of the management in allowing an on-the-job trainee to reach the point and carry out repair work.

His family members have alleged foul play . They were preparing for his marriage after he landed a job with the Delhi Metro. “His mother is unaware of the loss and believes that I have to take him home for the wedding. It will be tough facing her with the body,” said Hari Singh, Chaudhary’s father.

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The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Employees Union (DMRCEU) organised agitation overnight of 3rd November 2017 against loss of a metro employee due to negligence, cruelty and gross violation of safety rules by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and demanding immediate action against the all culprits, huge compensation to deceased’s family member, job to one member of his family and adopt standard procedures to prevent similar accident in future. A series of meetings also conducted between staff representative and the DMRC Management and ended with no positive outcome.

A senior DMRC official said, “A detailed investigation by an electrical inspector general nominated by the government is under way to establish the sequence of events leading to the unfortunate loss of a young life.” DMRC managing director Mangu Singh also ordered a review of the procedures at sub-stations. DMRCEU (Employees Union) representatives are not agreed with the decision of the metro management as there is lot of chances to manipulate inquiry proceedings and manage inquiry report in organisation’s favour.

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