The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) issued show-cause notice nearly a month ago to Gammon India, one of the contractors in the ongoing metro rail work. This was after the work got delayed in some of the stations handled by the contractor.
Gammon officials blamed the rains for the delay in work and said they had responded within two weeks of receipt of notice saying that the issue would be taken up and resolved at the earliest. Gammon handles seven stations in Chennai.
“The pace of work came down drastically due to waterlogging. As the space given to us at the site is limited, the equipment cannot be shifted at short notice,” the official said.
He also pointed to the fact that often, contractors undergo a lot of difficulty taking up underground construction. The work was not hampered during the time of correspondence between the company and CMRL, the official said.
However, CMRL officials pleaded ignorance when asked about the issue.
CMRL had issued a schedule to contractors for the completion of work which they were supposed to adhere to. Contractors risk being liable to penalties in the event of their inability to stick to the schedule. However, in this case, it is not clear if the contractor paid any penalty, sources added.
Gammon India, which was also a contractor for work on the Delhi Metro had faced sanctions following the mishap in a work site in July 2009.
Six people were killed in the incident. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had set up a committee to probe the accident.
The committee’s report pointed to serious deficiencies in design. Following this, Gammon was debarred for entrusting in any new contract in DMRC for two years, effective from 2010.
In February 2011, CMRL awarded two orders worth Rs. 1,947 crore to the firm.