IC-TRAM 2017 | Technology along with managerial excellence can chart a new trajectory

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09/10/2017

Lucknow: His Excellency Mr. Milan Hovorka, Ambassador of Czech Republic to India today visited Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC). He along with his delegation first visited the Charbagh Metro station where he was welcomed by Shri Kumar Keshav, Managing Director and senior officials of the Corporation.

Mr. Hovorka saw the world class state-of-the-art facilities provided by LMRC at the Metro station including the Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (AVTM), Recharge Card Terminal Machine (RCTM), Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates, escalator, lift with braille buttons and other automatic passenger oriented facilities. He was very much impressed with the facilities and praised LMRC for setting such a wonderful system at par with the European standards in such a compressed time schedule of just less than three year.

He then also took a ride in Metro train from Charbagh Metro station to Transport Nagar Metro station along with his delegation. Shri Kumar Keshav, Managing Director briefed the Czech Ambassador about the unique design and special features of the Lucknow Metro Train.

Later, Mr. Milan Hovorka visited the Depot Control Centre (DCC) and saw the facilities developed by Lcknow Metro for the Software Development Centre (SDC) and the Operations Control Centre (OCC). He also planted a tree sapling inside the Transport Nagar Metro Depot to make his visit memorable.

Mr. Milan Hovorka, Ambassador of Czech Republic with LMRC Chief Mr Kumar Keshav during visit to Lucknow Metro

He was extremely happy to visit LMRC and wished the entire team of Lucknow Metro ever success. He was very appreciative about the success and achievements of Lucknow Metro under the leadership of Shri Kumar Keshav, Managing Director and felt immensely honoured to visit LMRC which has set such a world record of constructing and commissioning a Metro Project in less than three year.

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Delhi Metro | Delhi Govt ready to takeover DMRC project, says CM Arvind Kejriwal

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09/10/2017

New Delhi: Firing a fresh salvo in his ongoing tussle with the Centre over the upcoming hike in Delhi Metro fares, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday offered to take over the Metro and “run it efficiently without increasing fares“.

Responding to a letter by Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in which the latter had asked the Delhi government to provide an annual grant-in-aid of about Rs 3,000 crore if it wanted the fare hike to be put on hold, Kejriwal wrote back saying that the Delhi government was willing to bear half the revenue loss if a matching grant was provided by the Centre. In his letter, Kejriwal said the Centre and Delhi government were 50:50 owners of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and its equity etc were shared in this proportion all along. “Let an assessment be made of the financial gap likely to be created on account of the postponement of the second fare hike and we will be able to bear half of it,” he said.

DMRC chief Mangu Singh called on Kejriwal at the latter’s residence on Sunday evening for a brief meeting at the CM’s request. “It was a personal meeting,” said a source close to the CM.

After 2009, Delhi Metro’s fares were hiked on May 10 this year following a recommendation of a fare fixation committee (FFC). The second phase of the hike is scheduled to kick in from October 10. The move has been termed ‘anti-people’ by the Delhi government, which asked for the hike to be put on hold till an audit of DMRC’s finances is carried out.

Puri had written to Kejriwal, saying that neither the Centre nor the Delhi government had the authority to put the hike on hold as it is legally untenable. He, however, said that the Centre was willing to constitute a fresh FFC if the Delhi government agreed to bear the funding gap of DMRC, which amounts to about Rs 3,000 crore per year for five years.

In his letter to Puri, Kejriwal wrote, “I cannot recall any instance where the prevailing fares payable by a very large number of users were doubled in this manner. He said since the Centre bears 100% loss of the Kolkata metro, “I see no difficulty if the Centre bears 50% loss in case of Delhi”.

Kejriwal said that while both the Centre and Delhi governments were equal partners in DMRC, it was becoming evident that the relationship was not that of equal partners. What the Delhi government proposed was often summarily dismissed by the central government, he said.

“We are confident that we will be able to fund DMRC by improving its efficiency rather than effecting steep fare hikes and provide an affordable means of transport to the people of Delhi,” he said in the letter.

Discount on Delhi Metro Fare — Delhi Metro fare Hike

The CM said that fares would be doubled across frequently travelled bands within a period of five months and such a “tariff shock” was anti-people. He added that Kolkata Metro fares were one-third of Delhi’s.

He also alleged that DMRC sat on the FFC recommendations for eight months, so deferring the second hike by a few months should not be a problem. If the Centre can withhold a fare revision by delaying the constitution of an FFC, it is irrational to say it has no remedy once a report of the FFC is received, Kejriwal’s letter said.

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Around 50% of India would be urban by 2030, says Hardeep Singh Puri

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07/10/2017

New Delhi: With globalisation and urbanisation becoming integral to the prevailing world order, it is reasonable to assume that around half of the country would inevitably reside in urban areas by 2030, the date of implementation of the agenda for Sustainable Developmental Goals, said Hardeep Singh Puri, minister of state (Independent Charge), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

He was speaking at an interactive panel on Building Blocks for a New India, at the India Economic Summit being organised by the World Economic Forum and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at New Delhi on 6th October 2017.

hardeep singh puri — Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Urban Minister (Photo: PTI)

Puri said that the Swachh Bharat Mission recognises impending challenges of urbanisation and called for mindset change by all stakeholders to help meet the specific targets under the Mission. The bio-mechanisation of waste, mechanical cleaning of drains etc, are some of the initiatives being contemplated by the government under the Mission.

While dwelling on the urban rejuvenation effort of the government through affordable housing, the impact of which would become visible by 2018, he said that there was no other option but to decongest the city. He exhorted the state governments to constructively engage with the Centre to help cities function effectively.

He invited the private sector to partner with the government in the building of smart cities and leverage the huge economic opportunity which it entailed. He also supported the need for an independent regulator in sectors such as real estate to clean up the system.

Sumant Sinha, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, ReNew Power, called for an automatic reset of power prices and separating carriage from content for freeing power pricing from government control. He also supported privatization of distribution companies for greater efficiency. The fixation of power tariffs, based on market demand, would lower production costs and make manufacturing competitive.

Bunty Bohra, Chief Executive Officer, Goldman Sachs, India highlighted tapping the corporate bond market for long-term finance for infrastructure and need for removing the restriction on institutions so that corporates are clear about the risk-return profile.

Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII highlighted the challenges faced by the private sector while operating projects in the PPP mode.
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He dwelt on issues such as problems of land acquisition, structuring of PPPs, dispute resolution, and trust deficit, among others. He called for further streamlining of clearances and forward planning and hoped for the success of Real Estate Regulation Act (RERA) to reduce the demand and supply gap in infrastructure.

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Delhi Metro | Centre cannot put Metro fare hike on hold, says Union Urban Minister

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06/10/2017

New Delhi: Four days ahead of the proposed Metro fare hike, the Centre has informed the Delhi government that if the latter is willing to pay an amount of Rs 3,000 crore to the DMRC every year, then a new Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) could be set up, news agency ANI reported. The DMRC, which is set to increase the fares of Metro tickets in Delhi for a second time this year, has been facing strict opposition from the Arvind Kejriwal-led government.

The FFC had recommended a hike in fares which was to be implemented in two phases once in May and the other in October. Despite a vocal protest, minimum fare was hiked from Rs 8 to Rs 10 and maximum from Rs 30 to Rs 50. On October 10, the price will be increased further by Rs 5-10 for more than two kilometers.

In a letter to the MD of DMRC, the state transport minister Kailash Gahlot has said that they oppose the second fare hike suggested by the DMRC as it is in violation of the recommendations of the FCC.

Delhi Govt letter to MD DMRC — Delhi Govt. Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot written a warning letter to DMRC Chief Mangu Singh on metro fare revision issue.

Highlights of Delhi Metro’s 4th Fare Fixation Committee Report –

The members of the 4th FFC were Justice M. L. Mehta, retired Judge of the High Court of Delhi as Chairman, Shri K. K. Sharma, the then Chief Secretary, GNCTD and Shri Durga Shanker Mishra (Additional Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development).
The necessity of revision in fares was on account of increase in the cost of inputs viz. the staff costs, the cost of energy and the cost of repair & maintenance. Since constitution of the 3rd FFC, there has been increase in the rate of industrial DA by 95.5% (from 16.90% to 112.40%), rate of Central DA by 103% (from 22% to 125%) and average increase in the rate of minimum wages by 156.2%. The last fare revision took place in 2009 and the 4th FFC was set up after almost 07 years.
The fare revision will be implemented in two phases i.e. Phase-I that will be implemented with effect from 10th May 2017 and Phase-II that will be implemented from 1st October, 2017. There will be a total of six fare slabs as against the existing 15 fare slabs with a minimum fare of Rs.10 and a maximum fare of Rs.50 in the 1st Phase.
With a view to encourage ridership on Sundays and National Holidays (26th January, 15th August and 2nd October) special discounted fares have been approved.
10% discount to be continued on every journey made by the passengers using Smart Card.
To avoid overcrowding during peak hours, an additional 10% discount will be given to the passengers using Smart Card who exit from metro system during off peak hours.
Value of Tourist Card for 1 day and 3 days validity shall be Rs. 200/- and Rs. 500/- respectively including security deposit of Rs. 50/-.
There shall be no change in the fares of Airport Express Line.

Background

This is fourth time since the beginning of its operations in 2002 that Delhi Metro is revising its fares. When Delhi Metro started operations on 25th December 2002, the minimum fare was Rs. 4 and maximum was Rs. 8.
The 1st fare fixation committee was constituted in December 2003 and revised fares were adopted w.e.f March 31, 2004 (after a gap of one year and three months) with minimum fare of Rs. 6 and maximum Rs. 15.
The fares recommended by the 2nd fare fixation committee were made effective form 31st December 2005 (after a gap of one year and nine months) with minimum fare of Rs. 6 and maximum Rs. 22.
The 3rd fare fixation committee was constituted in June 2009 and fares were made effective from November 13, 2009 after a gap of 4 years (approx) with minimum fare of Rs. 8 and maximum Rs. 30.

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Chandigarh Metro | Centre to review DPR of proposed metro rail project in City again

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05/10/2017

Chandigarh Metro — Representational Image only

Chandigarh: Hopes for having a metro rail project in Chandigarh and its periphery were revived here on Wednesday. Union minister of state for housing and urban affairs (independent charge) Hardeep Singh Puri said at a function in Sector 17 that the Centre was going to evaluate the proposal’s detailed project report (DPR) again.

The only difference will be that the Centre will make the new assessment on the basis of Metro Rail Policy-2017, which the Union Cabinet had approved on August 16 this year. Talking to journalists on the sidelines of a financial-inclusion camp at the Parade Ground in Sector 17 here, Puri said Centre had asked all states and UTs which had prepared DPRs for Metro rail projects, to submit fresh proposals for an evaluation under the new policy.

The project had suffered a major setback after the Union home minister advisory committee (HMAC) had termed the project unfeasible for Chandigarh in July this year. Members of the committee, which is headed by Union home minister Rajnath Singh, had asked the administration to look for alternatives to strengthen public transport.

In the past, Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher has also raised questions about the project’s viability. In the past few years, the administration has been making efforts to better public transportation. Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) buses ply on 75 routes with a waiting period for boarding a bus varying from 20 minutes to over one and half hours.

In the past few years, Chandigarh has witnessed a substantial increase in traffic. In the absence of an efficient public transport system, residents prefer two-wheelers and cars, leading to congestion on the roads. A high volume of vehicles has also led to deterioration of air quality.

Chandigarh has the highest density of vehicles in India, with around 12 lakh registered vehicles, including two-wheelers and four-wheelers. The number of vehicles is over two per house.

As per the revised detailed project report prepared by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the project will cost Rs 13,600 crore, of which Chandigarh will have to chip in with around Rs 5,000 crore, while the remaining amount is to be shared by the state governments of Punjab and Haryana. The total length of the project covering Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula is 37.57 km. A majority of the two corridors falls in Chandigarh. In June 2015, Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab had signed a memorandum of understanding for the formation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for execution of project.

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Bangalore Metro | Govt. of India signs contract with European Bank for lending of Rs2293 crore

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05/10/2017

New Delhi: Govt. of India and European Investment Bank (EIB) today signed the finance contract for lending of 300 million euros (about Rs 2,293 crore) for Bangalore Metro Rail Project phase-II.

Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II is to be jointly financed by the EIB (500 million euros) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (300 million euros).

“The first tranche of 300 million euros was signed today,” the finance ministry said in a statement.

The project relates to extension of East-West and North-South lines for Bangalore Metro Rail which includes a total length of 72.095 km (13.79 km underground) and 61 stations with 12 underground stations.

The project implementation period is 5 years from date of commencement.

“The objective of the project is to bring in a quantum improvement in the transportation sector in the city in tandem with the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and other modes of urban transport,” the ministry said, adding the project aims to ensure modern transport facility for the commuters.

As per the release, the spinoffs of the project would include employment opportunities, benefits to the economy, reduction of number of vehicles on road, less fuel consumption, reduction in air pollution, reduction in passenger travel time and also improvement in the aesthetic value of the city.

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Ghaziabad Metro | UP housing board releases Rs 31 crore to DMRC for metro rail project

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05/10/2017

Ghaziabad Metro — Metro Rail Towards Ghaziabad City

Ghaziabad: The Uttar Pradesh Housing & Development Board has released Rs 30.90 crore for the under-construction Metro corridor in Ghaziabad. The move came nearly three weeks after the board was pulled up by the state government for delaying funds for the project. In a meeting in Lucknow on September 14, chief secretary Rajiv Kumar, had directed the housing board and UP State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) to release their share of funds to the project within 10 days.

The money will be used for the Dilshad Garden-New Bus Stand Metro project by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The fund was transferred by the housing board to the GDA, the nodal agency for the project, which in turn was given to DMRC on Wednesday.

The housing board is among the four stakeholder agencies for the project in UP. It has a share of Rs 440.45 crore in the total budget of Rs 2,210 crore for the project. The board had earlier released Rs 50 crore from its share of funds.

“The money is expected to boost construction work, which is already in an advanced stage. No new deadline has been fixed for the completion of the project,” secretary, GDA, Ravindra Godbole, told TOI.

The GDA has already released its entire share of Rs 695.80 crore for the project. The UPSIDC has released Rs 3.30 crore from its share of Rs 97 crore in the project. The GMC is yet to release any funds from its share of Rs 246.35 crore.

The September 14 meeting in Lucknow was convened at the behest of GDA, which had raised the issue of inordinate delay in construction work due to delay in release of funds by different government agencies. In September, the state cabinet also approved a revised funding pattern for the project in a new budget estimate. As per the new estimate, the total cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 2,210 crore as opposed to the Rs 1,770 crore estimated in 2012.

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MP Metro | Three firms in fray for Bhopal and Indore metro rail contracts

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05/10/2017

New Delhi: Deutsche Bahn Engineering & Consulting, Aegis India and AYESA are in the fray for consulting contracts for the Bhopal and Indore metro rail systems, according to two people aware of the development. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Madhya Pradesh (MP) government plans to expedite construction of the projects in the state’s capital and business hub in the backdrop of assembly elections coming up next year. The firms have been shortlisted for general consulting contracts by the Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Co. Ltd (MPMRCL) set up after the MP government approved its constitution in February 2015. The idea of setting up metro rails in Bhopal and Indore was conceived in 2009.

“The decision on who will get the contract for the project will be taken by September end,” said a senior state government official, requesting anonymity.

The Madhya Pradesh cabinet approved the detailed project reports of the Bhopal and Indore metro rails in December 2016 at a cost of Rs14,485.55 crore.

According to the decision, while MPMRCL would bear 60% of the project cost, the union and the state governments will share 20% each for the projects. “These projects are of great importance to the MP state government,” said a second person, requesting anonymity.

The metro rail network in the country is growing with the mass rapid transit system emerging as one of the best solutions for urban transportation. Even as nine Indian cities currently have a metro network, over two dozen more projects are lined up.

The union government had last month come out with a new metro policy wherein it will approve and aid metro rail projects only if they have private participation and ensure last-mile connectivity for users. Under the new metro rail policy, states will get powers to make rules and regulations and set up permanent fare fixation authorities.

“Private participation, either for complete provision of metro rail or for some unbundled components (like automatic fare collection, operation and maintenance of services etc.), will form an essential requirement for all metro rail projects seeking central financial assistance,” the policy stated.

Metro rail projects are capital intensive and are generally undertaken through financial support of both the central and state governments in the form of equity and grants with the remaining funds raised through multilateral lending agencies. India’s metro rail expansion over the last two decades has, for the most part, been financed through soft loans from Japan.

“There is no need to submit any fresh detailed project report for Bhopal and Indore metros, as our current reports are in accordance with the new Metro Rail Policy announced by the Centre,” said a senior MPMRCL official, who also didn’t want to be named.

Queries emailed to MPMRCL, Deutsche Bahn, Aegis and Ayesa remained unanswered till press time.

Deutsche Bahn Engineering & Consulting has been active in the Indian infrastructure space. Mint reported on 3 April that it was in talks with Indian Port Rail Corp. Ltd (IPRCL) to form a joint venture (JV) to develop rail connectivity for Indian ports.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that 50 Indian cities were ready for a metro network.

According to rating agency ICRA, metro rail projects worth Rs2 trillion are likely to come up for bidding in the next five years.

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Kochi Metro | KMRL Board submits Kochi development plan to centre for approval

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05/10/2017