Halted work on Hyderabad Metro Rail is costing L&T two crore rupees everyday
Work on the Metro Rail on some routes has been halted after the government announced realignments
Hyderabad: With over Rs 2 crore loss being incurred per day, concessionaire Larsen & Toubro has written to the Telangana state government seeking clarity on their earlier orders to stop Metro rail works at the Assembly.
In a letter to the TS government, L&T managing director V. Gadgil said, “We have been asked to stop the work. Hence, we wanted to know what must be done now. The letter is seeking clarity on the issue.”
The letter was sent a week back and there has been no reply so far.
Metro rail work has come to a halt at Assembly and Sultan Bazaar following a re-alignment announcement. The announcement made in the Assembly has not been officially communicated to the Hyderabad Metro Rail, which in turn is required to communicate it to L&T as per standard procedure.
As a result, there has been a major slowdown and only 40 per cent of the work could be completed in the last three months.
This has dealt a blow to L&T financially, as their manpower is not being utilised to the full capacity and their machines are lying idle all over the city, compelling them to invest in security arrangements.
A senior officer said, “We have equipment worth Rs 500 crore lying on the city roads. Since the last three months most of them have not been used. The workers are sitting idle as there is hardly any work being carried out due to the slow-down. The viaducts are ready at Uppal godown but can’t be laid as there is no clarity. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and traffic police are still not co-operating and giving the required permissions. Traffic diversions are not being done. Too many hurdles and bottlenecks have been created which is not good for the project. It is leading to an enormous loss not only for the company but will also be a burden for the people of the city.”
The legal parameters cannot be sorted out till an official response from the government is received.
A senior officer said, “At this stage, compensation can’t be demanded as absolutely nothing has been communicated officially. Even when the official communication comes in, the clauses of the contract have to be studied and accordingly, the issue has to be tackled. It is a sensitive issue and the project is at a crucial juncture. We only want to know what must be done further and how to complete the project without any further delay.”
Principal secretary of municipalities, S. K. Joshi, who also looks after the Metro Rail project, said, “We are looking into all the aspects of Metro Rail. They are under consideration.”