| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| S.ravi |
Posted - 07/11/2008 : 21:14:49
Pending works to get over by March
Delay attributed to sharp rise in prices of raw materials
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After the prices shot up, contractors refused to proceed
Railways developing 3 km-long link road from Velachery to Taramani
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CHENNAI: The pending works at the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) stations between Thirumailai and Velachery will be completed by March next year, Chief Engineer of the Metropolitan Transport Project (Railways) S.N.Agrawal said here on Thursday.
He attributed the delay to a sharp rise in prices of raw materials, particularly steel and cement. After the prices shot up, the contractors refused to proceed. We had to reprocess the tender and now the works are progressing fast, he said.
While the works at the Kotturpuram station would be completed by December, those at Mandaveli, Greenways Road, Kasturbai Nagar, Indira Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Taramani, Perungudi and Velachery stations would get over by March.
Bus stand
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation is developing a bus stand close to the Velachery station. The Railways are developing a 3 km-long-link road from Velachery to Taramani. Another 2 km-long-link road is being developed from Kasturbai Nagar to Thiruvanmiyur. An additional platform has been sanctioned for the Chennai Beach station.
The State government has offered to develop commercial complexes between the Thirumailai and Velachery stations.
Patronage for MRTS services have improved, especially after the recent fuel crisis in the city, said Additional Divisional Railway Manager N.Swaminathan. Laying of approach roads to Taramani and Perungudi is getting delayed because of encroachments, he said.
Crow menace
With the train network passing through swamps (in Velachery and Perungudi) and the Adyar estuary at Kotturpuram, birds have become regular visitors to MRTS stations.
The most aggressive of the lot, crows, are giving railway officials a tough time. Mr.Swaminathan said, These days whenever I go for inspection of MRTS stations, the first thing I watch out for is crows! Crows are building their nests on top of overhead electrical cables. It can lead to tripping of wires and disrupt services, he said.
As a result, the overhead electrification (OHE) staff are also doubling up as crow chasers, he said.
Saplings planted
Railway officials, who took journalists on a tour of the MRTS facilities, planted saplings of Asoka and Neem tree near the entrance of the Velachery station. Tree planting would also be undertaken between Kasturbai Nagar and Thiruvanmiyur.
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| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| S.ravi |
Posted - 03/19/2010 : 20:49:21
CHENNAI, March , 2010 Chintadripet station looks better thanks to free flow of fundshttp://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article248340.ece
Within two months the station has been transformed from a dark, dingy place into a reasonably clean, usable public transportation facility.
For commuters who regularly use the Chintadripet MRTS station, the new Secretariat building just across the road has come as an unlikely ally. Within two months the station has been transformed from a dark, dingy place into a reasonably clean, usable public transportation facility.
Close to Rs.34 lakh was spent on various kinds of maintenance activities recently at the station. Compare that to Rs.14 lakh which was spent over the three years preceding that and one can get an idea of why most MRTS stations are in the state that they are. No maintenance work has taken place on the Mylapore-Velachery stretch since construction of the stations is still not fully complete.
The bridge on which the MRTS line runs on Anna Salai was painted just because the Public Works Department (PWD) asked us to spruce it up for inaugural function of the new Assembly-Secretariat complex, said a senior Railway official.
We do not have any inclination to spend on the MRTS line. While annual running cost on the segment is Rs.27 crore, the revenue generation is only Rs.9 crore, he added.
The overall maintenance activity which was undertaken at the Chintadripet station is called a special project'. According to Railway estimates, such projects must be carried out every two to three years but on the MRTS line it is done once in seven years.
The huge size of the stations is a major problem when it comes to maintenance, said S.K. Kulshrestha, Divisional Railway Manager. MRTS was taken up as a means to showcase the Railway. However, utilisation has been very low. We can maintain two to three stations on the Tambaram segment for the same amount of money required to maintain one on the MRTS segment.
He also said that Chepauk station would be taken up next for overall maintenance.
Pointing out that station spaces must be treated as marketing assets, a senior Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) planner said that the Railway ought to pay more emphasis on real-estate management. If the space in each station is treated as an asset, there is a lot of revenue potential.
Despite the anticipated increase in traffic once the Secretariat starts functions, regular commuters like R.Aravamudhan remain sceptical.
I have been using the Chintadripet station almost every day for the last two years and have never seen any kind of maintenance activity. Facilities are much better now, but will they continued to be maintained like this, he asked.
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| S.ravi |
Posted - 03/12/2010 : 20:54:00
Proximity raises security concerns
It is not just the MRTS network that raises security concerns, writes
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/13/stories/2010031365210300.htm
The Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) services will be suspended for more than an hour on Saturday evening. Reason: the tracks run very close to the new Assembly and Secretariat complex that is to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the presence of many VVIPs.
Trains running close to vital installations like the new Assembly and Secretariat complex on Anna Salai, and the Chepauk cricket stadium, remain a perennial threat considering the proximity, say police officials. We will have a Rs.24 crore worth security system in place to protect the new complex. Train services will be suspended from 4.45 p.m. till further advice on Saturday, Commissioner of Police T. Rajendran said on Friday.
It is not just the MRTS network that raises security concerns. That a flyover runs close to the US Consulate and another flyover is located opposite the Chennai Airport was also a matter of debate among security agencies on many occasions. There is a proposal to move all foreign establishments, particularly embassies and consulates, to a safer place in the city, another police official said.
During the IPL cricket matches, a special team in plainclothes would be deployed to keep tabs on suspicious persons around the stadium. The presence of the Railway Protection Force personnel will be increased in MRTS stations. We will soon have Closed Circuit Television network established in all 17 stations, said Inspector General of Police and Chief Security Commissioner (RPF) G.M.P. Reddy. At the airport, an official in the Chennai Suburban Police said policemen with binoculars would be deployed atop three hills near the line of landing or take-off.
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| S.ravi |
Posted - 03/11/2010 : 20:01:17
Chintadripet railway station spruced up
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/12/stories/2010031262490300.htm
CHENNAI: With the new Secretariat complex getting ready for inauguration, Southern Railway has spruced up the nearby Chintadripet station.
Though it will take at least six months to one year for the entire Secretariat to shift to the new complex, railway authorities have taken steps to keep the station ready for handling additional passengers.
With shrubs and wild bushes in and around the premises, unclean and poorly-lit platforms, stinking bathrooms and dry drinking water taps, the station wore a scruffy look till a few weeks ago. The shrubs and bushes have been cleared and platforms cleaned up. Faulty lights have been replaced and the outer walls given a colour wash.
Lifts and escalators have been made functional.
Temporary arrangements have been made for cleaning the station premises. Soon, a permanent contractor will be appointed. The toilets will be converted into pay-and-use facility for better maintenance.
Southern Railway General Manager Deepak Krishan, who recently inspected all stations on the Beach Velacheri MRTS section, directed officials to get the platforms cleaned periodically and have signboards in place for guiding passengers.
S.K. Kulshreshtha, DRM, Chennai Division, told TheHindu that the station was capable of handling two lakh passengers a day.
At present only 70,000 passengers were frequenting it. Current patronage for MRTS services did not warrant additional services.
However, he hoped there would be increase in passenger traffic once the new Secretariat complex became operational.
Depending on the passenger response, the existing six-car rake service would be augmented to nine-car rakes and frequency increased.
Metropolitan Transport Authorities told TheHindu that as of now there were no plans to open a full-fledged bus stand at the station. The existing bus stand, which was opened for intra-modal transport facility a few years ago, was abandoned due to poor patronage.
It would become operational again and services would be operated once the entire Secretariat is shifted to the new complex.
Theere was also a proposal to have a subway connecting the new Secretariat and the Chintadripet station and a bus stop for the convenience of commuters. |
| S.ravi |
Posted - 02/24/2010 : 17:34:41
MRTS up to St.Thomas Mount by 2012
http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/25/stories/2010022558560200.htm
CHENNAI: The extension of the Mass Rapid Transit System Phase II from Velachery to St.Thomas Mount has been targeted for completion by March 2012, according to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee. Presenting the railway budget for 2010-11 in Parliament on Wednesday, she said the project was in progress and would be completed by 2012. The Minister also announced that new suburban services on the Chennai Central-Sullurpeta - Chennai Beach section; Chennai Beach - Velachery (MRTS) section; Chennai Beach Tiruttani - Chennai Beach section; and Chennai Central - Arakkonam section would be introduced in the next financial year. |
| S.ravi |
Posted - 11/11/2009 : 08:30:30
MRTS stations in terrible state after rain
V Ayyappan, TNN 11 November 2009, 06:50am IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/MRTS-stations-in-terrible-state-after-rain/articleshow/5217270.cms
CHENNAI: In a throwback to last year, Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) stations in the city have developed leaks, flooding platforms and concourse areas during the monsoon rain that has been lashing the city the past few days.
In November 2008, Southern Railway officials had said that all developmental works being carried out by the Metropolitan Transport Project (MTP) would be completed at stations between Thirumailai and Velachery by March 2009. However, nothing really has improved at Mandaveli, Greenways Road, Indira Nagar, Kasturibai Nagar, Tiruvanmiyur and other MRTS stations. Some of the old stations like Chepauk and Triplicane are also not in good shape.
After the rains now, escalators have beeen switched off at all the stations because rainwater has been dripping into the machines. Southern Railway was operating the escalators for a while after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently raided all stations following complaints that the machines are lying unused.
An official from a private company that installed the escalators in most of the stations said: "Water seeps into the escalators, ruining the panels and fixtures in the motor. We have been complaining to the railways about the leakage the past six years."
"We will know about the condition of the machines after the rains stop and the station dries up," he added, while checking for water seepage in the motor of the escalator at the Greenways Road station on Tuesday.
Commuters are now forced to walk in ankle-deep water, the result of raindrops dripping from roofs onto platforms as well as from elevated bridges onto the concourse and counter areas on the ground floor. "The stations badly require maintenance," said Kalaiarasan, a commuter waiting for a train at the Greenways Road Station, which is wet and dirty.
The entrance of the station is located beneath the bridge and water drops on commuters as they enter. The area near the ticket counters and the way to the platforms are flooded.
Commuters have no place to sit at the Mandaveli MRTS station because the chairs on the two platforms are completely wet, from leaking water overhead and from the open windows. Roofing work on the metal canopy over the platforms are incomplete here.
Last year, Southern Railway officials had said that works were stalled because of a steep rise in prices of cement and steel. Divisional railway manager S K Kulshrestha said: "Steps are being taken to prevent leakage in the stations. Some more works need to be completed. It is taking time because stations are huge. As utilisation is less, miscreants damage window panes and other fixtures."
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| S.ravi |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 20:14:25
AITING TO BE TAPPED: The MRTS station in Taramani is among those which are to be developed by the CMDA.
CHENNAI: Tenders have been called by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority from consultants to support the CMDA in development of space available above three stations at Taramani, Perungudi and Velachery, constructed under Phase II .
The initiative seeks to regulate commuter movement on the outskirts. This would also provide an opportunity to integrate government departments, currently housed in private buildings, under one roof.
The development of four floors with a built-up area of 18,000 sq m at the Taramani station, 18,000 sq m on ground-plus-seven floors of Perungudi station and 24,000 sq m on five floors of Velachery station would be carried out in a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) mode.
According to CMDA officials, the delay in completing the development of the available space at the stations was on account of upgrading of the seismic zone of Tamil Nadu, requirement of clearance for six stations falling under Costal Regulation Zone III and need for updating the cost estimates as the completion of the terminal work was done recently.
The construction of the facility is expected to augment supply of urban built-up spaces for corporate, public and commercial organisations. It would also help in the recovery of the State governments share of investment in the development of MRTS through sale, lease or contracting of commercial spaces, officials said.
The third phase of MRTS from Velachery to St.Thomas Mount is in progress. The first phase between Chennai Beach and Thirumailai for a distance of 8.97 km was commissioned in 1997 at a cost of Rs.280 crore. The second phase from Thirumailai to Velachery for a distance of 11.17 km was commissioned in 2008 at a cost of 734 crore.
As per the memorandum of undertaking (MoU) executed between the Railways and the Government of Tamil Nadu, the land required for laying track and constructing stations for Phase II of the project was given by the State government on lease for a period of 99 years. It has also shared the cost of project in the ratio of 67:33 with the Railways and retained the rights to exploit airspace over station buildings and in the land adjoining the stations. The State government had identified the CMDA as the nodal agency for the implementation and periodic monitoring of Phase II of the project. According to the assessment of the commercial potential of the project by the CMDA, the internal rate of return is expected to be 15 per cent. |
| S.ravi |
Posted - 09/04/2009 : 10:01:21
MTC to axe services to 3 MRTS stations
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/chennai/MTC-to-axe-services-to-3-MRTS-stations/articleshow/4969533.cms
4 September 2009, 03:32am IST
CHENNAI: The bus facility at the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) railway stations in Chindadripet, Chepauk and Light House is likely to be withdrawn soon due to "poor patronage."
The facility, introduced on August 17 by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), followed demands from the public .Southern Railway also believed that more buses to MRTS stations would mean more passengers in MRTS trains.
Now, after just 2-3 three of operation, MTC officials have almost concluded that they runnig buses to the three MRTS stations is not viable as very few passengers are using them.
"Every day, two checking inspectors were deputed at each of the three stations to ascertain how many people were using our services. We found that not even 10 persons were using the services either to reach the MRTS stations or to switch over to buses after getting down from trains there. Most of the passengers alighting at these stations were walking to their destinations. This being so, we have no other option except withdrawing this facility,'' a senior MTC official told The Times of India.
Many passengers are not willing to buy this argument. "A transport corporation which is alfter all a public service, should not always think in terms of ticket collection, particularly since itis only a small arrangement they has been put in place. These are not stand-alone services,'' said N Shanmugam, a regular patron of MRTS trains.
Said Ramesh Babu, a sales representative in Triplicane: "Such a decision after just 2-3 weeks is too premature. First of all, not many people are aware of the facility. The MTC and the railways should have given wide publicity at all the MRTS railway stations and bus stops and terminuses concerned. ' He appealed to the railways to pressure the MTC against cancelling the service hastily.
Southern Railway divisional railway manager S K Kulshrestha said: "It is for the MTC to decide. However, we suggest the MTC continue with the services for 2-3 months so that more people will come to know of the services and use them.''
Presently, 128 MRTS services are being operated between Chennai Beach and Velachery daily with about 75,000 passengers using them.
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| S.ravi |
Posted - 08/27/2009 : 09:18:15
State non-committal on MRTS
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=State+non-committal+on+MRTS&artid=lJSg8V2IXdA=&SectionID=lifojHIWDUU=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName
=rSY%7C6QYp3kQ=&SEO=Southern%20Railway,MRTS%20stations
27 Aug 2009 06:44:57 AM IST
CHENNAI: The State government has a 50 per cent stake in the MRTS, but when it comes to the task of maintaining the MRTS stations, Southern Railway is forced do it single handedly.
The massive structures for MRTS stations were constructed looking far ahead into the future, but the railways find this future too far and the maintenance of it too expensive.
S K Kulshrestha, Divisional Railway Manager, Chennai Division, told Express that the railways has taken up the task of improving the maintenance of the MRTS stations. âThe maintenance of these stations requires huge amounts and the MRTS has not generated that kind of profits to meet the expenditure, he said and added that as the initial step the railway was into the process of restoring the
damaged lifts and escalators.
T Archunan, Senior Divisional Engineer, Southern Railway said, âAfter the MRTS hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons we started a revamping process. All the lifts and escalators except at two or three have been restored to working condition. We are also into the process of commissioning toilets and making available drinking water in all MRTS stations,â he added.
He said that as the escalators were of German make, it took time to procure the required spare parts from Germany. All equipment that had gone into the making of MRTS was of the finest quality, but unfortunately the security system there couldnât tackle theft.
âTo put in a fool-proof security we need more manpower, which translates into another huge expenditure, he said. There is no dearth of plans. The Government Railway Police had claimed that it has put forward a proposal for providing a security blanket to the MRTS stations. âBut all these enthusiasm dies down once the question of funding is raised,â said Kulshrestha. Again, the State
government keeps mum. It might have spent lots of money on the MRTS project.
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| S.ravi |
Posted - 08/19/2009 : 19:26:42
More buses will mean more passengers for MRTS trains
Jeeva, TNN 19 August 2009, 06:30am IST
CHENNAI: For A Karunakaranm, a resident of Velachery, reaching his office in Alwarpet is a daily struggle. Although he can easily use the Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) service up to the Greenways Road railway station, lack of adequate bus connectivity from the station forces him to travel the entire distance by a Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus that is usually overcrowded during peak-hour rush.
While MRTS has witnessed more than a three-fold increase in the number of passengers after the train services were extended to Velachery in November 2007, Southern Railway, which runs the MRTS service, is concerned about MRTS trains being fairly crowded only during peak hours. Railway officials feel that the service would receive better patronage if MTC operated more buses at MRTS stations.
"We are operating 128 services totally, from Chennai Beach and Velachery. On average, 19,000 passengers travelled everyday on MRTS trains during 2007; that number has increased to 75,000 now. MRTS, a quicker, safer, more economical and pollution-free mode of transport, has all the potential to attract larger numbers if passengers can easily avail buses at all the 18 MRTS railway stations,'' a senior railway official told The Times of India.
Many passengers complain that only 50% of MRTS stations have adequate bus connectivity. "Provision of bus facilities near the stations in Triplicane, Kotturpuram, Greenways Road and Perungudi has been a long-pending demand. The government should ensure removal of encroachments near stations like Triplicane and Kotturpuram, to enable the entry and exit of buses there,'' said R Thirumalai, a regular traveller on MRTS trains.
"Though more passengers have started travelling by MRTS trains, the number is too less when compared to the lakhs of commuters who use the Chennai Central-Tambaram suburban service,'' pointed out Sadanandan, a railway employee in Tiruvanmiyur.
"If we get down at the Greenways Road station, we have to walk either to Sathya Studio or to Chamiers Road to catch a bus. MTC should not always consider ticket collection as reason for providing more bus connectivity at MRTS stations. Congestion on the city roads would reduce if more bus passengers opt to travel by MRTS. At least, the state government should come forward to introduce a mini bus service to connect stations,'' said K Mohanakrishnan, a road safety activist.
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| S.ravi |
Posted - 08/15/2009 : 04:36:07
TN plans to develop MRTS station space commercially
R. Balaji
Chennai, Aug. 9
The Tamil Nadu Government is examining a Rs 136-crore commercial development space available at three of the MRTS (mass rapid transit system) stations to recover its investments in the project.
According to sources, the project for the development of commercial space at MRTS stations would involve public-private partnership to use the space available above the platform level at the stations in Taramani, Perungudi and Velachery.
The sources said the objective would be to develop the space with private sector participation on BOT (build-operate-transfer) basis with the private players investing in the construction and handling the operation and maintenance for a 25-year concession period. The Governments contribution would be the land and provision of utilities.
The Governments share of revenue from the project is expected to compensate for its investment in the MRTS project. Tamil Nadu has invested a third of the Rs 734 crore in the MRTS project with the Railways bringing the main contribution.
The other projects include a Rs 475-crore re-development, operation and maintenance of the private bus terminus at Koyambedu; and operation and maintenance of the fruit and vegetable wholesale market and the biomethanation project at Koyambedu.
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| S.ravi |
Posted - 07/24/2009 : 19:35:38
Saturday, Jul 25, 2009
CBI probing supply of escalators, elevators for MRTS stations
CHENNAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation is probing alleged irregularities in the supply, installation and commissioning of escalators and elevators at ten stations of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) here.
According to agency sources, a joint inspection conducted by the CBI last week along with technical experts and vigilance officials from Southern Railway revealed that 14 escalators were not functioning.
Six of the 17 elevators were found not to be operational. At Taramani, two escalators, each worth about Rs. 50 lakh, remained packed on the station premises for months.
A prima facie case has been made out. It appears that the companies (who were awarded the contract to supply, install and commission the escalators) colluded with some officials and supplied sub-standard escalators. The payment has been made as if the escalators were provided in order and as per the specifications of the agreement, a Superintendent of Police in the CBI said.
Since many escalators and elevators were not functioning, it has become difficult for passengers, particularly senior citizens, physically challenged and women, to take the stairs and reach the station.
The poor quality of escalators/elevators also put the safety of passengers at stake. The patronage of the MRTS services would have been affected due to inadequate infrastructure, causing wrongful loss to the railways, he said.
Files pertaining to the escalator and elevator works that were taken up between 2004 and 2007 were seized by the Anti-Corruption Branch of the CBI for investigation.
Though the escalators were not installed at some stations, the contract for maintaining them was awarded. The agency is preparing to take action against some officials in the Chennai Division of Southern Railway who are responsible for the irregularities.
The CBI had already registered a case in connection with sub-standard work in the construction of station buildings under the MRTS scheme in which a retired Deputy Chief Engineer was named as accused, the official added. When contacted Additional General Manager (Southern Railway) V. Carmelus said the railways had entered into an annual maintenance contract with the manufacturers of the escalators.
As on date, 22 of the 31 escalators were not functioning.
We have given instructions to the suppliers to ensure that the escalators are made operational at the earliest. By the end of September, all of them will become functional. All the 30 elevators in the MRTS stations are functioning now, Mr. Carmelus added.
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| S.ravi |
Posted - 07/23/2009 : 20:40:24
Maytas issues MRTS work order to VNC
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Services/Property-Cstruction/Maytas-issues-MRTS-work-order-to-VNC/articleshow/4812611.cms
23 Jul 2009, 2015 hrs IST
CHENNAI: Seven months after civil construction on the extension of the rail based elevated mass rapid transit system (MRTS) was suspended in Chennai, work has resumed, thanks to the sub-contracting agreement that the project contractor Maytas Infra has struck with its strategic partner in many projects â Vijay Nirman company (VNC).
Andhra Pradesh based VNC received its work order on the project, now worth Rs 10 crore, from Maytas, late on Tuesday evening. Officials in the VNC, on condition of anonymity, told ET that Maytas would have to deposit Rs 50 lakh as security for VNC to commence work. âSubsequently, they will have to pay us the complete fee that they receive from Southern Railways,â an official said. SR is the
promoter of the MRTS, which has been in operation between Chennai beach and Velachery.
SR, which has Rs 250 crore worth of projects contracted to Maytas Infra, had contracted the Rs 90 crore worth construction of sub-structures for extension of MRTS to St.Thomas Mount from Velachery, in October 2009. At the same time, it had contracted the Rs.78 crore project for construction of super structures along the same line to VNC. When the financially troubled Maytas slowed down its work at the beginning of this year, VNCâs work was also delayed.
âAs our project deadline was September 2009 (So was Maytasâ), and SR was hesitating to re-tender the project, we came to this agreement with Maytas,â the VNC official said. Sources in SRâs technical department told ET that Maytas has mobilised equipments and resources for work to begin on the rail line. âFor us, it is essential to complete the work on time, and we are very satisfied with VNCâs quality of work in other projects,â a railway official
said.
Normally, government institutionsâ tenders do not encourage sub-contracting. In this case, SR is willing to look the other way, as it receives guarantee from Maytas on work quality and pace. âWe have not received any information on Maytasâ activities, but we believe work has been expedited as per our request,â SR spokesperson V J Accamma said.
The deadline for completion of the project has not been extended officially. âBut, we believe it will be completed by March 2010, and we will issue the official extension when the deadline expires in September 2009,â the railway official said.
Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:03 pm
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| S.ravi |
Posted - 07/09/2009 : 10:40:03
Chennai Metro: railways wants Maytas to hurry Message List
Chennai Metro: railways wants Maytas to hurry
http://www.livemint.com/2009/07/08232352/Chennai-Metro-railways-wants.html?h=B
Southern Railway is not keen to end the award of works to Matyas Infra and re-tender Hyderabad/Chennai: Maytas Infra Ltd, which on Tuesday lost the Hyderabad Metro Rail contract after failing to raise finances, has run into trouble in Tamil Nadu (TN) as well, with some of its projects likely to be delayed by up to nine
months.
Southern Railway has issued several notices to Maytas in the past few months to expedite Rs250 crore worth of mass rapid transit system (MRTS) projects in Chennai, a top railway official said.
âWe are worried over the delays in execution of the works awarded to Maytas Infra, which seems to have landed in some financial troubles early this year,â R. Ramanathan, chief administrative officer (construction) at Southern Railway, said over the phone on Wednesday. âThe works are not progressing at the expected levels and we are disturbed over the delays.â
The Hyderabad-based infrastructure firm has lost several contracts in recent
months after its main promoter, B. Ramalinga Raju, confessed to Indiaâs
largest accounting fraud at Satyam Computer Services Ltd in January. His son B.
Teja Raju is Maytas Infraâs CEO.
On Tuesday, Maytas lost its biggest contract, the Rs12,132 crore Hyderabad Metro
Rail project. The Andhra Pradesh government scrapped the award after Maytas
failed to achieve financial closure even three months after the deadline
expired.
As to the TN projects, Ramanathan expects delays of at least three-four months
in the elevated Metro extension and modernization works in Chennai and up to
nine months for laying double tracks on the Chengalpet-Villupuram route.
Southern Railway had awarded seven projects to Maytasâfour relating to MRTS in
Chennai and three track laying works on the Chengalpet-Villupuram route. Maytas
won contracts to extend Chennaiâs elevated rail line by 5km from Velachery to
St Thomas Mount, between January and April 2008, and the track laying project in
December.
Southern Railway can terminate and re-tender the works awarded to Matyas Infra,
but is not keen on exercising that option. âWe are worried that re-tendering
and subsequent legal issues may further delay the works, which we are not
interested, keeping in view the inconvenience to commuters,â Ramanathan said.
âThatâs why we are pressurizing the company to expedite the works and are
constantly reviewing the works.â
A Maytas spokesperson, who didnât want to be named, blamed the delays on
incessant rains, transport strikes and non-availability of land.
The firm expects to complete the Metro extension project by September and the
track laying works by July 2010ââas per the timelines sanctioned by
railwaysâ, he added.
The deadline for doubling the tracks on the Chengalpet-Villupuram route is April
2010, Ramanathan said. Maytas, he added, was given 18 months for the Rs72 crore
Metro extension project, but the firm would now be able to complete work on two
of the three stretches only by June.
Maytas had to drop out of the third stretch, worth Rs30 crore, as it wasnât
given land by the state government, he said. Another Southern Railway official
said a re-tender has been called for the last stretch.
The firm is also constructing an MRTSâstation in Chennai and carrying out
modernization works at other existing stations.
Following the fraud at Satyam, Maytas Infra landed in trouble with the Karnataka
government, which cancelled two airport projects in Shimoga and Gulbarga, worth
a combined Rs200 crore, it had awarded to a consortium led by the firm. (On
Monday, the state government decided to award back the contract to Maytas.)
Soon after, London-listed Vedanta Resources Plc. cancelled a contract with
Maytas Infra citing slow progress of work and failure to pay contractors. The
agreement was for building a township for staff at the groupâs mining
operations at Jharsuguda in Orissa, valued at Rs232.69 crore.
State-owned Power Grid Corp. of India Ltd also revoked several rural
electrification contracts, worth Rs395 crore, it had awarded to Maytas Infra
under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana.
Following a representation by the lenders of the infrastructure firm, the
Company Law Board on 5 March appointed its nominees on the board of Maytas
Infra, who have since then successfully negotiated with lenders and obtained a
debt restructuring package for the firm.
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| S.ravi |
Posted - 07/07/2009 : 18:51:33
Private security plan for MRTS stations
CHENNAI: Southern Railway is considering engaging private security personnel at the Mass Rapid Transit System rail stations from Mandaveli to Velachery here. Apart from safeguarding property at the nine stations, the move is expected to result in more people, particularly women and senior citizens, patronising MRTS services.
The modalities were being worked out, said Chennai Divisional Railway Manager S.K. Kulshrestha.
With several MRTS stations located close to slums, Railway Protection Force personnel often found it difficult to prevent the entry of unauthorised persons into stations.
A senior official in the Divisional Chief Security Commissioners Office confirmed that there was such a proposal. After the hijacking of a train that led to a collision at the Vysarpadi Jeeva railway station, security had been tightened at several stations, he said.
The sanctioned strength of the Railway Protection Force is 53 and the personnel have to cover 15 stations, from Park Town to Velachery.
However, every day nearly eight to 10 RPF personnel were not available for duty due to various reasons. This necessitated the posting of private security personnel, a senior RPF official said.
RPF personnel travel in trains from Park Town to Velachery, and six armed Railway Protection Special Force personnel are on duty in trains from Greenways Road to Perungudi.
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| S.ravi |
Posted - 05/19/2009 : 23:23:08
The long-pending demand of the residents living near Arcot Road for measures to decongest traffic is set to materialise with Chennai Metro Rail Ltd evaluating the possibility of integrating its elevated corridor and the proposed flyover at Vadapalani junction.
A senior official of Chennai Metro Rail Ltd told The Hindu that experts in the field have begun discussions on how to integrate the two sets of elevated structures. We are doing it [discussion] as quickly as possible and expect work to be taken up soon, he said. The flyover, proposed at the junction of Arcot Road and Jawaharlal Nehru Road, would help ease traffic flow considerably in the area.
The State government had, in 2005-06, granted approval to the Highways Department for the construction of a grade separator at the junction. An official of the Highways Department said the proposal was put on hold because of the Metro Rail project, as part of which the construction of the flyover would also be taken up.
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