Worked overtime on Metro safety audit, CMRS chief rules out doubts

HYDERABAD: Allaying doubts regarding the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMRL) stretch between Mettugudda and SR Nagar being awarded a safety audit certificate in just three days, Ram Kripal the commissioner of Commission of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) on Thursday told Express that his department had begun the paperwork for the said Metro stretch as early as August, 2017. The commissioner clarified that his department worked “overtime for 3 days.”

The Metro rail opening date was set on November 28 by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in September, giving the officials a month’s time to get the 30-kilometre Nagole-Ameerpet-Miyapur stretch ready for inauguration. The Prime Ministers Office was directly seeking reports on the status of the HMRL that further added pressure on officials to deliver on the date. The first stretch to be inspected for safety and approved was the 8-kilometre long Nagole-Mettuguda in March 2016 followed by the 12-km long Miyapur to SR Nagar inspected in August, 2016 and approved on October, 2016. The safety inspections and approval for these stretches happened over the course of few months. 

L&T extended testing for the Mettuguda to Begumpet stretch in mid-October, 2017 and to Ameerpet in early November. CMRS inspected the Mettuguda-SR Nagar stretch on November 17-19 and approvals were given within those three days.“The reason that the first few inspections took time was that there were a lot of things to be checked and clarifications that we had sought from them(HMRL),” said Ram Kripal, commissioner, CMRS. 

“Only the first inspections took time. Most issues were resolved towards the end. For the last inspection, we worked over 13 hours a day, against the usual eight hours,” he added.“Some areas were inspected in advance. We started the safety inspection process for the last stretch in August, 2017 and some of the inspection for that stretch was over by September. We had told HMRL to give the paper early when we got to know the inaugural date,”  said Kripal. 

However, when pointed out that the safety certification was given despite SR Nagar to Mettuguda stretch not having the  Communication Based Train Control signalling system fully functional, Kripal said, “HMRL had declared that they have not finished upgrading the CBTC in that stretch. That is why the top speed is kept low there. A lot many restrictions have also been placed on that stretch, it is a permitted by the rulebook.  There is no reason to worry,” he assured. 

Ameerpet-Hitec city stretch to open by June next year

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL) managing director NVS Reddy on Thursday inspected the gaps that need to be bridged between Ameerpet and Hitec city, and alignment between Hitec city and Raidurg on Thursday along with engineering, town planning, police and revenue wings of HMRL, and engineers of L&TMRHL. The inspection follows MA&UD Minister KT Rama Rao’s instructions for completion of the Ameerpet-Hitec city stretch (8.5 km) of Corridor-III (Nagole-Hitec city) by June next year. Resolving the issues related to the remaining five pillars in Yousufguda, Reddy instructed different wings of  HMRL and L&TMRHL to coordinate properly and complete the remaining 21 spans of the viaduct in Yousufguda basti (2 spans); Krishnanagar (9 spans); Transtroy building (2 spans); and Sirisampada apartments (8 spans) in Jubilee Hills by January end, so that track, electrical traction and signalling works can be taken up and completed expeditiously to adhere to the June 2018 target.