From managing quality to tracking deadlines, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) has appointed a general consultant for monitoring a section of the phase II project.
According to sources in CMRL, the bid was opened and the joint venture of AECOM India, Oriental Consultants Global and Nippon Koei has been chosen as the general consultant for the 26.09 km Poonamallee-Light House stretch, which constitutes one of the three stretches in the phase II project whose cost is pegged at ₹61,843 crore and total length is 118.9 km.
For two other sections — Madhavaram to CMBT and Madhavaram to Shollinganallur, the joint venture of Nippon Koei, Aarvee Associates and Balaji Railroad Systems Pvt Ltd. has been chosen as the general consultant.
“The general consultant will review the detailed design of the viaduct and the station to check for any issues before construction begins, monitor the quality assurance promised by the contractors and check if they meet every deadline given for the respective contract. Also, the consultant will act as an interface between different contractors like civil, track and systems to see if there is any lack of coordination and other issues,” an official said. This contract had to be finalised a few months ago.
Earlier, when the CMRL had called for this tender, there were some complaints from the bidders and eventually, the process was called off, and a new tender was floated again.
“The job of a general consultant is crucial as they provide their expertise to ensure that there is no compromise on the quality of construction from the beginning of the project till the end. But it is important that Chennai Metro Rail reviews the work of the general consultant so that there are no safety lapses,” a source said.
