Chittaranjan Tembhekar TNN
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Mumbai: Will phase I of the monorail, which is to open by September 15, be safe, secure and reliable? In fact, will it be able to start operations on target even after five years of construction? Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials have threatened its developers with a heavy penalty if it does not.
MMRDA officials have now raised serious doubts about the quality of trains and safety standards for commuters. They also doubt it will be able to start operations for Mumbaikars on schedule.
MMRDA is developing the route by paying Rs2,800 crore. At a review meeting on August 28, attended by officials of the contractors, L&T Scomi Engineering (LTSE) and consultants, the Louis Berger Group, metropolitan commissioner U P S Madan expressed displeasure and deep concern over the lack of safety of the system.
TOI has learned that he referred to the latest incident of a panel door falling off, which luckily did not hit passersby. He emphasized that the state of affairs was “totally unacceptable”.
Additional metropolitan commissioner Ashwini Bhide said even after spending Rs1,700 crore it was a pity that MMRDA did not have trains fit to run. She said that due to non-availability of trains, plans for tests had failed. “This is a serious reflection on the contractor’s capability,” she added.
MMRDA spokesperson Dilip Kawathkar said, “Three trains are running in automatic schedule since morning and have been tested for schedule adherence, stability and robustness. This is definitely a milestone for monorail signaling.” But he could not confirm the date of opening.
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