Contrary to the claims of executing agencies, right to information (RTI) query on Mumbai’s much awaited first metro corridor  has revealed that only 70 percent civil work on its alignment and 60 percent for its 12 metro stations en-route was complete as on October 2011.

The information  stands in sharp contrast  to claims by Mumbai  Suburbs Guardian Minister, Naseem  Khan last week where he said that Metro line along  Versova- Andheri –Ghatkopar route  is likely to be commissioned by November next year.

As per the RTI reply, cost of the first metro project- a first on public private partnership (PPP), is Rs 2356 crore.

MMRDA is 26 percent stakeholder in the project. Central government is pooling in Rs 471 crore out of total amount of Rs 650 crore of Viability Gap , while balance cost of Rs 179 crore is shared by the state government as well as MMRDA.

“The authority has failed to clarify cost escalation. When work for its alignment had started in February 2008, as per the agreement , Reliance Infrastructure led consortium had claimed that it will finish work well before March 2012. However now since work has been delayed because of several reasons  there is bound to be huge escalation, but MMRDA has not bothered to give the details of the same,” says activist Anil Galgali who filed the RTI. 

Referring to its Bhoomipujan by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 21, 2006 when Galgali  inquired about its target completion date he was told that ‘no deadline’ was set for VAG  completion.“This further indicates authorities’ indifference in planning  the metro in Mumbai,” he says.

Further as per MMRDA records, six people lost their lives since the inception of the project in February 2008. On May 14, 2008 Vijay Kumar, a businessman lost his life when 80 tonne piling rig fell on the auto rickshaw he was traveling in at Andheri (W).

Vinod S B Singh, the auto rickshaw driver was injured in the mishap. Due to open wires, Navin Prasad Singh was electrocuted to death near Andheri railway station during heavy rains on July 14, 2009. On March 7, 2011, dead body of Namdev Jadhav was found near Sarvodaya Hospital in a pit. The investigations for this casualty are still on. Dattatray Padekar and Pratap Padekar (both students) fell in a three meter deep pit in Sakinaka and lost their lives on April 9, 2011. On July 7, Banawar Lal a construction worker died near Navrang cinema when he fell off from a 12 meter girder.

Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) has so far paid more than Rs 40 lakh  in compensation to the relatives of the deceased.

 

Status of Civil Work of Alignment  as per RTI query :

Pile Caps plus Rafts-  Total: 464, Complete : 449
Peers-  Total: 451,  Completed : 413

Peer Cap Construction- Total: 431, Complete :345
Peer Cap Launching- Total: 431, Complete:376

U Girder Construction- Total: 759, Complete: 665
U Girder Launching- Total: 759, Complete: 540

Station Piles- Total: 888, Complete: 760
Station Pile Caps plus Raft- Total: 298, Complete: 249
Station Pillars- Total:449, Complete: 393