The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on Tuesday announced that it has decided to blacklist M/s Arch Consultancy Services Private Limited for a period of five years for its role in furnishing advice to the Corporation about the cracks in the cantilever pillar at Jamrudpur in South Delhi that collapsed on July 12 this year.
According to a DMRC official, after detailed examination of the process of design, contract, enquiry report findings, memorandum of charges and replies furnished by Arch Consultancy, the Corporation decided that the company and their sister concerns/partners have worked to the detriment of DMRC interests. The company has also been accused of gross misconduct.
The official said the company will be blacklisted for a minimum period of five years from doing any business with DMRC or as DDC (Detailed Design Consultants) through any contractor working under DMRC. “Arch Consultancy will be removed from all running contracts. Other engineering organisations dealing in similar design works will be informed of this decision by DMRC,” the official said.
Following the inquiry into the Jamrudpur incident that left seven dead, the DMRC had issued a show-cause notice to Gammon India asking why it should not be blacklisted from contracts for two years, it had also debarred the structural consultant (Tandon Consultants) for two years for not giving the right advice to DMRC. Two deputy chief engineers were also placed under suspension and a major penalty charge-sheet was drawn up against chief engineer (design). The expatriate consultant of General Consultants, directly responsible for ensuring quality of work, was demobilised and replaced.
The probe conducted by a team headed by IIT-Delhi professor A. K. Nagpal had indicated that the accident was caused by “serious deficiency” in the design of the cantilever arm and that the concrete did not have “adequate strength probably due to lack of (its) adequate curing”.
