Metro 2 stuck in RInfra-MMRDA blame game

More than three years after the concession agreement was signed between Reliance Infra and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for the 33-km Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd metro line, the gloves are finally off over who is to blame for the delay in the project.

Reliance Infra officials, led by its CEO Sumit Banerjee, said on Friday that the project was still on paper because the MMRDA had failed to fulfil its share of the responsibilities.

“We are keen to work on the project and have even spent around Rs70 crore to get the project off the ground. But certain unsolved issues involving the land for the depots (at Charkop and Mankhurd) and the delay in finalising arrangements for shifting the underground utilities (like telephone lines, electricity cables, sewage line, etc) has stopped us from starting the work. This is despite the fact that we achieved a financial closure way back in March 14, 2011,” Banerjee said.

Both the depot lands fall under the Coastal Regulation Zone and Reliance officials claim that the MMRDA had not warned them about this before contract the finalised.

Moreover, the state has been unable to obtain a suitable dispensation from the ministry of environment and forest that would enable the use of the land for the requisite purpose. The process of finding alternate plots for the depots and the casting yard have been protracted ones, leaving the project in the lurch.

Another sore point has been the inability of the MMRDA to finalise a firm that would oversee the shifting of underground utilities.

“We believe we have done whatever was required from our part. We finished mapping the underground utilities and had submitted a detailed estimate of Rs115 crore for shifting the utilities in September 2011. We completed 90% of the geo-technical investigation of the alignment, the topographical survey of the entire 33-km route except the Charkop and Mankhurd plots and have also appointed  a civil design and proof checking consultant as stipulated by the contract,” said Banerjee.

The right of way has also been a source of discontent between the two agencies. “We have received only 51% of the ROW for the viaduct, 54% for the stations and none for the depot,” the CEO said.

MMRDA commissioner Rahul Asthana said that they studying all the aspects of the project and are still awaiting the clearance for the two depot lands from the MoEF.
“We will be approaching the urban development ministry after going through all the issues that have to be resolved in order to get the project started,” he said.

On January 14, the ministry of urban development had advised  both the parties concerned to take the issue up with the Cabinet Committee of Investments, the apex body that looks into infrastructure projects worth over Rs1,000 crore.