Mumbai: Activists have slammed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), for its inordinate delay in acting against inefficient contractors who were working on the12.7km and 5.9km viaduct construction on two metro lines --2B and 7 and the construction of a metro depot at Mandale.
Anil Galgali, a Right-to-Information activist, has demanded action against the MMRDA officials who failed to monitor the project timeline and recommend prompt action against such contractors. He told The Free PRESS Journal, "MMRDA, after almost two years, has terminated the contract deal over delay of work.
Why did it take so long despite their knowing that work of merely five-six per cent of the concerned metro had been completed till date? An inquiry should be initiated. Citizens have to suffer, since the work has not progressed and the deadline will be missed. The traffic woes will persist, there is no immediate respite in sight."
Activist Zoru Bhathena said, while the contract has been terminated due to delay in work, the MMRDA too is equally responsible. He said, "I had communicated with a few metro workers at Khar, who claimed that they were not being paid, their bills were pending. Due to non-timely payments, the work has been affected." He wondered whether the MMRDA was facing a funds issue.
Reportedly, the MMRDA has terminated its contract with Simplex Infrastructure Ltd. and MBZ-RCC, over the slow progress on Metro line 2B (DN Nagar to Mandale) and 7(Andheri East to Dahisar East) and the Mandale car depot. These contractors were awarded the work in January and February 2018. But despite repeated reminders to expedite the progress, the contractors failed to measure up, according to the MMRDA.
Simplex Infrastructure Ltd. was awarded the Rs 1,080 crore contract to construct 12.7 kms of the Metro Line 2B on January 9, 2018. The expected progress in 30 months was 65 per cent. However, there was barely 5.07 per cent progress in almost 25 months.
The MMRDA had entered into a joint venture with M/s MBZ-RCC over part-design and construction of the six Line 2B corridor elevated stations — MTNL Metro, SG Barve Marg, Kurla Terminal, Kurla East, Eastern Express Highway and Chembur (excluding architectural finishing and pre-engineered steel roof structures of stations)— as well as constructing the double-decker Mandale depot.
The contractor was awarded a Rs 521.21 crore contract on April 12, 2018, to construct 5.9 kms of the Line 2B corridor. The expected rate of progress from the contractor was 60 per cent in 30 months. However, the MBZ-RCC could only complete 4.48 per cent of the task in over 21 months.
As for work on the Mandale depot, the MMRDA had awarded the Rs 390.44 crore contract to MBZ-RCC on January 19, 2018, at an expected progress rate of 50 per cent in 36 months but only 6.98 per cent progress was made in almost 25 months, said the metro authority.
The MMRDA issued more than 15 letters over the slow rate of work and five more to resolve the issue of pending payments to the vendors, as well as staff.
More than five letters were written by to resolve frequent labour strikes. However, no progress was in evidence in the last four-five months, following which the contract was terminated.
