Inside story of a prime project derailed

Infrastructure company Afcons has virtually not been able to start work on the most crucial stretch of East West Metro in over three years because the route map for the line could not be finalised in the absence of crucial stretches of land and also help from the state government. The infrastructure arm of Shapoorji Pallonji, which is supposed to build the Howrah Maidan-Central portion of the project and take the railway tracks under the Hooghly, recently sought Rs 257 crore in compensation from the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) for the delay. After Metro wrote about the company's predicament in Calcutta on May 14, its managing director, K. Subrahmanian, came forward to share his story with this newspaper. The interview. How would you describe your Calcutta experience? Our experience in the context of a Metro project of this scale is not good. While 77 per cent of the duration has been completed on May 15, the actual progress achieved is only 12 per cent (approximately Rs 115 crore against the planned 95 per cent, which is Rs 890 crore). Fundamentally, the KMRC doesn't have a well-staffed organisation in place to execute a project of this magnitude. Many of those deployed for the work do not have any exposure to underground Metro construction. Further, the corporation is talking of changes which are done before commencement of the project — like change of alignment, an issue which is pending for the past 12 months. The structure of the corporation, which was originally 74 per cent state and 26 per cent ministry of urban development, has also undergone changes. The state has offloaded its stake to the railways. The railways have still not taken control of the project, despite 74 per cent ownership. What was the biggest hurdle? Was it the unavailability of a route map to fix the alignment or the lack of political will? Initially, handing over of land for construction and approval were the hurdles. Now, it has to be the alignment. Unless the alignment is frozen, the tunnel-boring operation cannot be commenced. The tunnel-boring machine (TBM) with an overall cost in excess of Rs 100 crore reached the site almost 22 months back and is remaining idle. Further, due to lack of administrative set-up, the KMRC is not in a position to seek refund of the money spent by it from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The problem over alignment is due to difference of opinion between the state government on one hand and the central government, JICA and the railways on the other. The state government wants alignment change whereas the other entities do not want it as it may cost a minimum of Rs 500 crore additionally. Did you find any difference between the importance accorded to a infrastructure project in Calcutta and elsewhere in India? We had worked with the DMRC for the Delhi Metro project, which was handled very professionally under the leadership of E. Sreedharan. When we got the Calcutta Metro project, we also secured two underground packages in Chennai Metro. Compared with only 12 per cent progress in Calcutta, in Chennai we have achieved about 37 per cent and the project is doing very well. I regret to say that, in Calcutta, no importance is given to the project as is reflected in the lack of a proper organisation for its execution. In fact, there were times when there was no full-time managing director available in the KMRC. I am also equally worried about the railways playing a major role in the new structure of the KMRC. This is because the railways' record in project implementation is nothing to boast of. What sort of internal deadlines had you set? We wanted to finish the project within the original contract period itself, which was April 4, 2014. Afcons has a track record of completing most of its projects on or ahead of schedule. For that, we should have achieved 95 per cent progress by now. The tunnel boring should have been completed by this time whereas it has not even started. Unfortunately, due to various problems, the progress has only been 12 per cent. How did you try to impress upon the authorities the urgency of getting the land tangle sorted out? Handing over of land is principally the obligation of the KMRC. They have to liaise with the state government for all land except at Howrah station where the railways have to facilitate the process. Nevertheless, we were also continuously meeting various authorities to help resolve the matter. What was your working experience with Metro in Calcutta earlier? While there were a lot of initial delays in the north-south Metro, it picked up speed after 1990 and substantial work was completed in four years' time thereafter. Being the first Metro executed in India, there were a lot of teething problems, which were finally sorted out. Have things changed since then? Yes, things have changed since then. The DMRC demonstrated that Metro jobs could be completed much faster. It adopted a centre-state shareholding model, with least bureaucratic interference. The results are there for all to see. Although the KMRC started with the same model, it changed direction midway. During the first Metro project in Calcutta, there were a number of problems but solving each one of them was a novel experience. I could see, at that point in time, the involvement of Calcuttans and the pride they took in the project. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130520/jsp/calcutta/story_16909524.jsp