Chennai Metro: CMRL launch unlikely in March

0
349
Advertisement

Chennai Metro Rail may not get going in March as the State government is yet to give a date for the launch of the service between Koyambedu and Alandur.

According to Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), though they had sought dates from the State government a while back, there has been no response.

“Nearly 90 per cent of the construction is complete. The finishing work can be done 10-15 days before the launch. We are ready to begin commercial operations by late February itself. But there have been no talks at the government level, with regard to a launch date,” an official said.

Meanwhile, a senior government official said there is no conclusive deadline at present, but the inauguration, in all probability, ‘may not happen in March’.

A final call on dates can be taken only after the required safety approval is given. That apart, uncertainty prevails because of the ongoing court case against AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa, the official said.

“We have no clear idea yet on the way forward,” he said.

CMRL officials plan to invite the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) — whose clearance is required to begin commercial operations — for inspection by the end of this month or early next month.

“The CMRS has asked us for some additional documents which we will submit next week. We may get clearance a week after inspection is conducted. If the State government had indicated a probable date, we could have arranged the inspection accordingly,” an official said.

Now, owing to this delay, contractors have slowed down the pace of work, officials said.

“In the place of 100 workers, there are only about 30 working now. The contractors know we won’t relieve them if they finish early; so, the work has been rather been slow,” he said. (Source: The Hindu)

Daily Updates from Metro & Railway

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.