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Delhi Metro|DMRC likely to blacklist Hyundai Rotem for 5 years

Narendra Shah
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Delhi Metro|DMRC likely to blacklist Hyundai Rotem for 5 years

New Delhi: South Korean transport major Hyundai Rotem is likely to be blacklisted for five years from participating in any bidding process by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for concealing information while placing tenders for supplying 486 coaches for the Phase-III of Delhi Metro worth Rs 4,600 crore.

Sources said the issue of what action could be taken against the company was discussed in detail at the last DMRC board meeting. It is learnt that the decision on blacklisting the firm would be conveyed to DMRC next week for compliance. “The minutes of the meeting will have details of how the decision will be implemented by DMRC,” said an official refusing to divulge whether such a decision would impact the ongoing supply of trains by the South Korean company. However the final decision depends on the Board of Directors, he said.

Only one-and-a-half months back, Hyundai Rotem had supplied the first train to DMRC. In April 2013, DMRC awarded the contract to the company.

At the time of bidding, the company had concealed the fact that it had been blacklisted by Airports Authority of India (AAI). After this revelation urban development ministry had directed DMRC to seek legal opinion on whether the contract should be terminated.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had advised DMRC in December against termination of the contract at this stage in “public interest” even though the Korean company would have been “disqualified” for concealment of facts. AAI had in 2011 debarred Hyundai Rotem from bidding for its contracts till December 13, 2014.

The AG had said though there are several provisions which provide for disqualification, already huge amounts had been advanced to the company – Rs 670 crore against advance payment and another Rs 177.64 crore later. Moreover, production was in full swing. “There is no matter of doubt that public interest would be adversely affected if the contract is now terminated. In such a situation, even the Supreme Court of India has sanctified grant of contract and not cancelled the contract,” the AG had advised.

Rohatgi had also observed that DMRC was “completely blameless” though it could not detect the flaw on the part of Hyundai Rotem.

 

Chennai Metro|Madras HC asks CMRL & Gammon to suggest names of arbitrator experts

Narendra Shah
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Chennai: The Madras High Court  asked Gammon India and Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) to suggest names of experts who could be appointed as arbitrator to hear the dispute between the two parties. The development comes on a petition filed by Gammon India seeking a stay on the termination of its contract by Chennai Metro Rail Ltd.

During hearing on July 27, Justice S Vimala asked both the sides to come out with the names. While initially Gammon India had suggested retired Judge Deepak Verma’s name, later it withdrew the name due to technical issues as per the agreement, which laid down certain conditions, for the person who will be nominated for arbitration.

While Gammon said that it is not able to find a person as per the norms in the agreement CMRL has said it can suggest names.

Hearing both the sides, the Court asked them to choose two names from the list, which will be given by CMRL, that are mutually agreed. The two people who were choosen in turn will select one member for arbitration.

The Court has posted the matter for the hearing to Friday.

Earlier the Court asked both the parties to resolve the issue amicably, on which CMRL informed that the discussions for amicable settlement did not work.

It may be noted, early this month CMRL decided to terminate the Order placed to Gammon due to delay in completion of the tunnelling project after Gammon’s joint venture partner Mosmetrostroy, a Russian Company, allegedly abandoned the project. Gammon bagged Rs 1,947-crore contract along with Mosmetrostroy in 2011 to design and construct seven underground stations for the CMRL.

During hearing, Senior Counsel P S Raman, who was appearing for the company, argued that the company is ready to bring an Italian company, to replace Mosmetrostroy, which has best of technology and even ready to give undertaking that it will finish the remaining project in a particular time frame, but CMRL is not accepting it.

The counsel for CMRL earlier stated that once the termination notice was issued it cannot be revoked, he also argued that as per the agreement Gammon cannot outsource the project (on the backdrop of his Russian partner running away).

The CMRL has also decided to involve the bank guarantee against Gammon post the termination of the contract. However, Gammon wanted this to be stayed.

Delhi Metro|DMRC struggling to meet increasing cost with running its operations

Narendra Shah
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Delhi Metro|DMRC struggling to meet increasing cost with running its operations
New Delhi: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which operates the nation’s showcase metro system, is in danger of going the Indian Railways way – into the red.

DMRC seems to be coming under the same pressures as the railways: any increase in fares faces immense political opposition. Running its operations at fares fixed in 2009, the corporation is struggling to meet increasing cost. It has for years been pushing for a fare hike, which it says is essential for continued safe operations and maintenance.

The ministry of urban development (MoUD) – the nodal ministry to deal with Delhi Metro matters – has yet to constitute a new Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) that is mandated to revise the fares. Instead of the existing 15 fare slabs ranging from Rs 8 to Rs 30, the corporation has proposed five, ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 50, which if implemented, would bring it 38% more revenue. DMRC has repeatedly reminded the ministry to constitute the Fourth FFC to consider the proposal.

The proposed fares in the five-slab system are Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 30, Rs 40 and Rs 50. DMRC says the rounded figures will be of great help as there is a huge problem of coin availability and dispensing change to users. According to the corporation, it had taken up the coin shortage issue with the Reserve Bank of India at the highest level, but even the central bank said it could do little to improve the matters.
Starting from May 2012, the DMRC has been sending regular letters to the ministry reminding it about the urgent need to raise fares.

ET has accessed the series of letters. The last one was written by DMRC chief Mangu Singh to MoUD Secretary Madhusudan Prasad on February 19, 2015, where he stated that the costs of all inputs – electricity, salary, wages and maintenance – required for operations and maintenance of metro rail had gone up considerably.
Electricity tariff has increased by more than 94% since fare was last fixed, the DMRC managing director wrote. He said since the DMRC structures are now 13 years old, they “need higher upkeep and maintenance”. The delay in the constitution of the FFC, Singh added, is having an “adverse impact on the financial health of Delhi Metro”.

A senior MoUD official confirmed DMRC’s demand. “The matter should be resolved soon,” the official told media.

Government sources said E Sreedharan, the man behind the Delhi Metro, had tried his best to insulate the system from political interference and had even devised a formula for periodically increasing the fares.
(Source: ET)

Lucknow Metro|Lack of funds should not impede construction of metro project

Narendra Shah
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Lucknow Metro|Lack of funds should not impede construction of metro project

Lucknow: The chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, Alok Ranjan has said that Lucknow Metro rail is an ambitious project of the state government and any delinquency in its implementation would not be pardoned. He directed the department of housing and urban planning to take immediate action on proposals received from different government and semi-government departments for providing the land to LMRC for metro construction.

He asked the LMRC (Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation) officials about the requirement of funds and said that lack of funds should not impede construction of Lucknow Metro rail project. He directed the Housing Development Board, Lucknow Development Authority and UP State Industrial Development Corporation to immediately provide the remaining amount of FY 2014-15 for development of metro rail to LMRC along with contribution specified for FY 2015-16. The state government has recently sanctioned around Rs 100 crore to the project.

He directed that in view of problems being faced by metro officials while purchasing of private land through negotiations for stations and other purposes for Lucknow Metro Rail project, the committee formed under divisional commissioner, Lucknow should meet immediately to resolve the issues and take effective action to make the land available to Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation. The chief secretary was reviewing the progress of Lucknow Metro Rail project on July 27.

Managing Director, LMRC Kumar Keshav informed the chief secretary that the progress on primary section of metro rail from Charbagh to Transport Nagar (about 8km) has been satisfactory and according to the key dates fixed for completion of works by December 2016. The meeting was attended by secretary, Housing and Urban Planning, Pandhari Yadav, Managing Director, LMRC Kumar Keshav along with other senior officials.

Chennai Metro|One injured at Chennai Metro Rail site

Narendra Shah
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Chennai: A Metro Rail crane operator suffered 50 per cent burns after the crane he was working on touched a live wire near the St Thomas Mount Station on Saturday. The Metro Rail stretch between Alandur and Airport has been accident-prone.

Recounting the incident, Manoj, a Metro Rail worker, said he along with his colleague Munna got into the boom of the crane to plug the gaps on the elevated stretch near St Thomas Mount station.

“It was around 10.30 am and crane operator Umapathy moved the boom after we had finished the work to another place. As he was moving the boom, it came in contact with a live electrical wire. There were sparks. We found ourselves being lifted in the air and we blacked out,” recalled a shocked Manoj from Aurangabad.

It was plywood that saved the lives of Manoj and Munna, from Bihar. But Umapathy, from Uttar Padesh who has three years of experience as crane operator, was not that lucky. The impact of the boom coming in contact with 25 kv AC live wire was such that not only was the crane electrocuted but also the road below. Umapathy suffered 50 per cent burns on both his legs and is now under treatment in Balaji hospital.Manoj said he and Munna were lying unconscious in the boom for nearly 20 minutes after which fire-fighters rescued them.

“While coming down, we were shocked to see the extensive damage. I would have never gone up if I had known that there was a live wire above,” he said.

A senior Chennai Metro Rail official said the incident was due to a safety lapse. “We will be conducting an enquiry as well as a safety audit of the work site. It would have been due to a failure on the part of one individual,” the official said.

Although the Larsen and Toubro contractor at the site refused to comment on the incident, sources said it was the firm’s lapse. The failure was in not ensuring that the electrification of the stretch between Alandur to OTA was shutdown while the work was being done.

“It was putting the lives of the workers at risk. They should have ensured that it was safe to do the necessary work,” said an engineer at the site.

Nagpur Metro|BJP MLC urges Maha CM to expedite the Nagpur Metro Rail project

Narendra Shah
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Nagpur Metro|BJP MLC urges Maha CM to expedite the Nagpur Metro Rail project

Nagpur: BJP MLC Anil Sole has urged chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to expedite the metro rail project by clearing proposals at state government level. He met the CM on Sunday and urged him to hold meetings in this regard as early as possible.

The memorandum submitted by the MLC states that land required by Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Limited (NMRCL) has not been handed over to it. There were some issues pertaining to urban development department (UDD) that needed to be sorted out. Similarly, the funds sanctioned under 2015-16 state budget were yet to reach the corporation. CM Fadnavis assured Sole he would complete the necessary formalities at the earliest.

Right now, NMRCL needs land belonging to Special Reserve Police Force (SRPF) at Hingna for constructing a metro rail depot. Even though the home portfolio is with the CM, the formalities related to hand over have not been completed.

UDD is yet to clear the proposal of Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) to increase the floor to space index (FSI) along the metro corridor. NMRCL, NIT and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) will collect premium by selling the extra FSI. This revenue is important for funding the project as well as meeting its operating cost. The urban development portfolio is also with the CM.

Lucknow Metro|Lucknow Metro Rail project yet to get clearance from Public Investment Board

Narendra Shah
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Lucknow Metro|Lucknow Metro Rail project yet to get clearance from Public Investment Board

Lucknow: With the Lucknow Metro Rail project yet to get clearance from Union Ministry of Finance’s Public Investment Board (PIB), the state government has decided to complete the first stretch of the work with its own resources in order to meet the deadline of December next year — UP will go to polls in 2017.

Officials said the government will spend around Rs 2,000 crore from the state exchequer to complete the 8.3-km priority section stretch from Transport Nagar to Charbagh. This Rs 2,000 crore will be a part of the state’s share of the total project cost — worth Rs 6,880 crore — for the entire North-South corridor from Amausi to Munshipulia.

The decision is likely to mount pressure on the Centre to ensure that PIB clearance is issued at the earliest to ensure that UP cannot blame the Union government for any delay in the implementation of the project.

The Metro project is being projected as the lifeline Lucknow — Lok Sabha constituency of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. While the Centre has to bear 20 per cent of the total project cost, UP will pay around 27 per cent while the rest of the funding will come in the form of loans from various agencies.

However, neither the Centre can release its share, nor the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) — the project’s executing agency — could seek loan until it has been approved by PIB.

The PIB, for this project, has been formed under the chairmanship of Secretary (Expenditure) of Union Ministry of Finance.

The first meeting of PIB for the project was held in August last year. The Centre had allocated Rs 50 crore for the project in the Budget for 2014-15. But that fund could not be released in the absence of the PIB’s clearance. In the current financial year, Centre allocated Rs 173 crore but even that is awaiting PIB’s clearance. The next meeting of the Board is scheduled on August 6 in Delhi and the state government officials are expecting to get the clearance then.

However, sources said that even after the PIB’s clearance, it will take another two to three months for the state to actually get the Centre’s share of funds and loan from other agencies.

“We are hopeful to the get PIB nod in the next meeting,” said Kumar Keshav, Managing Director of LMRC. Keshav added that the state government has given a commitment to complete the first 8.3-km stretch of the project from its own resources so that a trial run could begin by December 2016.

Construction work on the first stretch of the project had started in September 2014. The state government had provided Rs 20 crore for the project in 2013-14, Rs 90 core in 2014-15 and Rs 425 crore is required in the current financial year.

Out of the assured Rs 425 crore, LMRC has so far reportedly received Rs 100 crore from the UP government. Transfer of the remaining fund from agencies such as UP Housing and Development Board, Lucknow Development Authority and UPSIDC is in the process.

Delhi Metro|140% rise in crime in Delhi Metro in a year

Narendra Shah
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New Delhi: There has been a rise of 140 per cent in the number of crimes including theft and pick-pocketing in Delhi Metro’s jurisdiction in NCR from 2013 to 2014.

In a reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said that “Metro is running with maximum capacity most of the time. The crime such as picking pockets, mobile theft, etc have increased with the increase in the ridership.”

“The ridership of Delhi Metro has risen to 2.6 million,” he told the Upper ouse

While 962 crimes were committed in Delhi-NCR areas under the jurisdiction of the metro in the year 2013, the figure rose to 2,309 within a year. The number of crimes has already touched 1,769 by June in 2015.

He said that there were eight Metro police stations in Delhi at Kashmere Gate, Shastri Park, Rithala, Raja Garden, Qutab Minar, Yamuna Bank, Kalkaji Mandir and IGIA. The corresponding figure for Gurgaon and Noida are one and three respectively.

“52 women personnel of Delhi Police have been deployed at the metro stations as well as in the metro rails,” he said.

Delhi Metro|DMRC tokens to be made available for micro advertising

Narendra Shah
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Delhi Metro|DMRC tokens to be made available for micro advertising

New Delhi: Delhi Metro tokens would soon be wrapped by micro advertisements, a move aimed at augmenting revenue by tapping the nearly eight-lakh-strong commuter base who use the circular coins.

While about 70 per cent commuters travel using smart cards as per Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) data, the rest, primarily visitors to the national capital, are dependent on tokens. Nearly 16,000 smart cards are sold every day from stations across the network.

Explaining the logic behind the step, DMRC officials said that on an average a token is circulated in three different hands within a day, thus providing “repetitive visibility” to different persons in different sections of the network.

“Moreover, tokens are mostly used by new travellers to Delhi. Hence, advertisement on tokens provide an attractive destination to the advertisers for wide publicity,” DMRC chief spokesman Anuj Dayal said.

The tokens, with an average diameter of 30 mm, provide printable space for advertisement at the centre with diameter of 25 mm, which can be viewed from both sides.

“This printable space shall be licensed to selected bidder for advertisement of its artwork in pursuant to bidding process,” the Request For Proposal (RFP) said.

Last December, the metro had leased out the outdoor bodies of its coaches to agencies, following which fully ad-wrapped trains were introduced on the network’s busiest corridors, namely Yellow and Blue lines.

Delhi Metro|All upcoming phase-III metro stations to have toilate facilty

Narendra Shah
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Delhi Metro|All upcoming phase-III metro stations to have toilate facilty

New Delhi: All upcoming metro stations including 32 of them under the Delhi Metro will have toilets, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Direction has been issued to all metro companies implementing metro projects under 50:50 joint venture partnership between the Centre and respective state and Union Territory (UT) governments to provide toilets in the paid areas of all proposed metro stations, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said in a written reply.

He said all stations of metro projects being implemented under equal joint venture partnership between the Centre and respective state and UT governments have toilets in the paid and unpaid areas. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has informed that 32 of its upcoming stations under the Phase-III project in Delhi will have toilets in the paid area. Naidu further said there are no separate funds earmarked for construction of toilets at metro stations. Toilets are an integral part of the station design and the cost of construction of toilets is part of the project cost.

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