So what we had suspected all along is true. Namma Metro is delayed by one year. Reach One itself is badly delayed. See this news - Metro Delayed..
"We are apprehensive about the tardy progress of Metro works in some stretches. So, we will fix a deadline for each work and ask contractors to adhere to it without any excuse. Necessary directions will be issued to the BMRCL,” M Ramachandran, secretary Union Ministry of Urban Development, told Deccan Herald here on Wednesday." This is the state of affairs on a Rs.6000 cr project. It dawns on them now that deadlines need to be fixed if work is expected to be done on time.
See another classic - 'Without naming the contractor he said: “While selecting this contractor for works, we did not anticipate that he was ill equipped. Henceforth, we will be very cautious before awarding tender.” '
What vendor selection principles does BMRC actually follow?
How exactly do they plan the work? Why do they dig up kms of road at a time if their capacity to do civil works is only 1 km every 4 months. What they are very good at is cutting trees though.
On Reach One "The works commenced in January 2007 and was scheduled to be completed in 27 months (April, 2009). However, there is no sign of its completion even by mid-2010. This, even after getting six months’ extension to complete the works, senior officials in the Ministry said. "
I have a feeling my grandchildren might one day use the Metro when in their teens :).
Srivathsa
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Comments
read delay as 'atleast' one year
I can understand the excuse that the contractor was ill equipped...but what about the supervisors??
What were they doing? arent they paid to make sure that there are no delays? or raise alarm when things are getting bad?
If they are not well equipped what is the assurance that they will do the work correct?
What is the backup for this contractor and does the contract have a clause at all about pull out or terminate the contract?
This is Bangalores Much
This is Bangalores Much needed, most expensive and most prominent peice of infrastructure. We cannot afford to take it on like a flyover project. We need a monitoring commitee. If delays are imminent then there is nothing we can do, but transparency can stop a lot of delays.
We need a team with citizens, central Govt, State Govt and Media monitoring the Metro and seeing exactly what goes wrong and where it goes wrong to be able to fix it.
This metro is sometime we should use in our lifetime!
Narayan Gopalan
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
Monitoring and finding mistakes
Monitoring and finding mistakes (genuine) are two different things.
Monitoring gives the remedies-in this case how to bring back the time line.
1.0 Change in design
2.0 Reducing scope of work
3.0 Priotizing the crash activities i.e. reducing the no of them and taking them as per the Contractor's resources.
4.0 Giving the less important parts to especialist agencies simultaneouly e.g. only machinery suppliers, utility shifting
5.0 Resorting to inhouse (done by the employer-through its own resources) e.g. building service /diversion roads-as these are temporary the quality is short requirement.
Off-course any overhead achieved or the financial figure goes above the contract amount than the clauses of the signed contract come in force e.g. The main contractor has to pay, and the employing agency is also responsible as they are admitting that the Procurement of the Contractor does not have the required quality resources.
Regarding liability of supervisors for the delay, you cannot fine the conductor of a Train for a mishap or delay.
nJ
-nJ-
919462900144
www.nitinjhanwar.biz
Still no Updates
Which is why
I am terrified each time our CM-in-a-hurry announces all these mega road projects that go from one end of town to another.
There seems to be very little understanding of basic project management principles in any of these projects. Else there is no way that we can discover 4 months before MG Road is supposed to be done that we are late by 15 more months. Magic boxes that were meant to get done in 72 hours took 72 days to get done - the CBI junction one took about 7 months to get done. Sad to say this - but this is plain and simple incompetence.
Schedules cannot be built just on best case assumptions. Magic boxes can be built in 72 hours (in Germany they assemble steel flyovers in less than 24 hrs) assuming no problems while digging, enough pre-cast blocks are there, no rains (not valid in July/Aug), enough equipment, etc etc. But these cannot be assumed - they have to also be planned.
Maybe some of the Infy Project Managers who go on sabbatical can be drafted in to manage the Metro schedule :).
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
Metro delay is unacceptable
We cannot afford any delays in Metro. Already city is 'buzzing' and people are very reluctant of distant travel within Bangalore. Many are not taking lucrative jobs which is far off and are satisfied with a nearby office because of the delays.
Further delays are totally unacceptable and it shows incapability of BMRCL in handling the contractor. I strongly feel that we need a technical person like Mr. Sreedharan as the BMRCL chief rather than an administrative person.
Sivasailam is not qualified
ill-equipped Contractor- who is accountable?
blaming Navyuga, how?
when saying "without naming the contractor", did they mean "Navyuga Engineering". If you see list of Navyuga's projects, you will find them doing work for Delhi Metro as well. See here: http://www.necltd.com/cp_...
They seem to be doing similar work for Delhi Metro - "Design and Construction of Elevated viaduct & Structural work of three elevated stations ... "
If they are not running late there, how come they are being blamed for being "ill equipped" here at Bangalore?
govt says no delay and will give more funds
The govt will also pitch in with tracking mechanism it says.
What is Sivasailam and his team paid for?
eat kadalekai?
Promises, promises
Let's see. If indeed what he says is true, we ought to see increased speed of work on MG Road. I don't use that road much (in fact - I have driven on it probably half a dozen times in the past 18 months) - does any regular user have any images to share?
The other very disappointing aspect to our Metro is that it does not cover two very very important parts of the city - ECity and ITPL. I think the western part of the city is well covered - Vijayanagar, Malleshwaram and Rajajinagar. The south and east are really not well covered. Anyway with the proposed extn to Puttenahalli being approved, the terminus will be 1 km from home (even if 10 years from now). I think we need to start drilling the message to the powres that be that money will be well spent on an extn to ITPL and to E-City.
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
Extensions
Frankly speaking, I cannot help but wonder whether the Metro would not have attracted better ridership if it were run via INR 100ft road, Murigeshpalya, HAL, Marathahalli and Kundalahalli till Whitefield rather than terminating it at Baiyyappanahalli.
As to E-city, the alignment of Phase-2 is from E-city to Yelahanka.
~~~~
Manish, Nagarbhavi.
~~~~
Manish.
unless metro tags along the rail tracks..
Deadline was july 2010..seems to be july 2011 !
http://timesofindia.india...
Cant we at all annul the contract with Navayuga!?
BMRCL is asking them to do weekly status check now..why cant the bmrcl do it themselves?
Cant we at all annul the
Cant we at all annul the contract with Navayuga!?
A major portion of the civil work of Namma Metro in Reach 1 of Byappanahalli to Cricket Stadium contracted to Hyderabad-based Navayuga Engineering Company has been withdrawn following delay in execution by the contractor, and fresh tenders would be invited to identify a new one.
Source
Banglore metro.. BMRC not mature to execute
I have also collected a lot of data and details about Banglore metro and the ongoing works.
The impression that is being created by BMRC is that the contractor "Navayug" is innefficient and in capable.
This is not fullu correct.
Recently BMRC has withdrawn about 25 % of the work from Navayug. This is being showcased as a harsh corrective action.
This is not so. The contractor is very very happy to get rid of this work. Navayug was prequalified for all BMRC tenders.But strangely, Navayug has not even participated in any of the recent BMRC tenders.
In fact they are said to have bluntly refused Mr.Sivasailam's request to participate.
If Navayug wants to they can challenge and unrobe BMRC in public and in courts of law. They appear to be wronged by BMRC. But they have chosen the business sense over false prestige.
BMRC handed the land as late as after two years. Even till date many drawings are not handed over/prepared.
The entire BMRC set up is made of incapable and impractical egoists and failed and retired babus.
God save bangalare.
Think again, Navayug is a company with over 25000 crores of jobs on hand and thir yearly turnover is 3000 crores. They are much bigger than BMRC.
God sve banglore from BMRC set up.
Pathetic disruption management
The other thing with this whole Metro project is the pathetic project management in terms of minimizing disruption to peoples' daily lives
a. Where was the need to cut trees on KR Road when Reach 1 itself is lying incomplete? Is there a shortage of tree-cutters in this city. or is it such a long lead time item that you need to start 3 years ahead of time. the trees need to be cleared only when the spans have to be put in place and not even when piling is happening.
b. Where was the need to mess up MG Road 2 years back if this was the speed of execution? They could have started from Byappanahalli and done MG Road later.
c. Do they understand how much their capacity to execute is? Let us assume they can do 1 complete km (piles to pillar) in 3 months with 1 set of equipment, crew, etc (just a number for this exercise). That means they can finish 7 km in about 21 months. Instead of messing up 7 km completely and then progressing slowly along the entire stretch, why not finish 1-2 km stretches every 6 months. That way the other 4-5 km can remain free of the mess. Start the disruption at the last possible moment. is there any thought process at all in that organization around disruption management.
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
Banglore Metro.Who isresponsible..??
please dont be carried away by misguided official rhetoic. Let us think rationally .
1. Navyug work was awarded in Maech-2007...if my info is correct.
2.But the first column-pier as they say was started only in Sept-2007.
3. Till Dec-2008 only 50% of the land, that too in Bits and pieces was handed over for work by BMRC. The contractor had asked for a minimum continous stretch but the samewas not given. Instead Navayug was repeatedly pressurised by BMRC to take up work in isolated and in public areas .
4. Handling public disruption is entirely in BMRC domain , whatever their statement. No contractor can do social service. They are to be paid for every action sought of them.
5. Navayug has provided as many Traffic marshalls/home gaurds as were sought by BMRC and traffic police. These home gaurds are given under the control of BMRC and Traffic police. ence They are solely responsible for their work.
ENTIRE PROJECT IS PLANNED BY bmrc AND IT IS THEIR INNEFFICIENCY WHICH IS EVIDENT NOW.
pLEASE GO TO THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE PROBLEM FOR THE SAKE OF BANGLORE.
THANKS
Not blaming Navyug at all - responsibility is BMRC's
Badrinath,
My rant was against BMRC and not against the contractor. The contractor only executes BMRC's plan!
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
What can Praja do?
- What can this community do now?
- Is anyone in BMRC willing to listen to us?
- Is there anyway some of the members can help?
I would love to see this project back on track at the earliest.We had had a meeting
Nareshb,
We had had a meeting once with the BMRC team where they sounded very confident about their planning and execution and essentially brushed away our concerns.
Maybe time for another meeting with them with much better preparation and questions.
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
What we, Praja, should and can do
Unlike many NGO mode groups who would advise rolling up our sleeves and getting down to doing the job ourselves (which may mean helping BMRC track vendors like Navayug better, or imparting Project Management training to their program office etc), I for one strongly beleive that we, the people, should just one thing. Its something that is not as hard to do as well.
Thats it. We can do above with minimum effort if 4-5 folks can join hands to track a given project.
Can't leave the tracking job to our dear media, for two reasons
Bottomline, don't take the "be the change you want to see" leterally. We can't dig Metro tunnels, build columns or lay down the tracks ourselves. But we can certainly ask and demand that the best talent is doing these jobs at the best costs.
PS: Sorry for that "sermon" mode comment.
Navayuga blames BMRC for delays
BMRC's top management is jinxed ever since Gowda senior decided to put his man in place of V Madhu.
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=NEC+loses+25%+of+Namma+Metro+contract&artid=qPZr1fXVW8A=&SectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&MainSectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&SEO=Bangalore+Metro+Rail+Corporation+Limited&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==
Poo flinging
While there are view points on what may have caused the delay and who is responsible, the public have, and will always, hold BMRC responsible for completing and rolling out the metro on time. If BMRC choose to make scapegoats to cover up so be it, they can hide but cant run. If there is a failure it is the BMRC chief who will have to go, not the 100 contractors who they engage.
Praja can do one of the 2 things,
1. Stay away from the internal wrangling hoping the parties can settle the differences legally and Navyuga can take steps to protect their image if they feel wronged.
2. Get data to prove BMRC is inefficent and cannot execute the metro task and ask for a change of guard before it becomes too late.
I prefer the former.
Dear Idontspam,How can we
How can we allow an ordinary BABU to play with our Money and Our dear NAMMA METRO.
It is NAMMA METRO, Not Sivasailm's Metro.
If we dont speak up and act decisively, we will not have a Metro for a long time.
The facts are :
1. Reach -1 civil work except stations awarded in March 2007.: Remember this is in six disjointed bits. Not a continous viaduct. This is really foolish way of working. This was initially adopted in DMRC and later discarded as impractical, timeconsuming and costly. Now, DMRC gives complete Viaduct to one contractor and stations to another.
2. BMRC finalised Station and its viaduct tenders in Jan-2009??? The completion time is 22 months. Land to the station contractor has been partly given in March-2009. Till date none of the station contractos have started any work. Not a single pile has been done by them. How can they complete this work by Dec-2010.
3. The tender for Track laying has not yet been finalised??/ IRCON and Kalindee, the major contenders say the tech requirements are to be revised????
4. it is wishful thinking to expect BEML to deliver coaches by DEC-2010.???
NObody can deny these hard Facts.
Why should we allow the BMRC BABUs to get away with this innefficiency and plain shirking of their responsibility.
We should hold them liable for every penny of public money.
Let us start a movement to fix the correct blame by filing a PIL and seeing the appointment of an independent commision to look into the causes and facts.
Badrinath.
I am more sanguine about this...
than most of you.
I work near Trinity circle and frequently take trips towards Kumble Circle and so I am speaking from first hand experience.
I am confident that by mid 2011, we will have a "Sarkal Express" (Short for Trinity Circle to Kumble Circle Express) thundering along MG Road. I believe it will be a success because,
a. there will be a well defined target segment of users -- children out for joy rides on the weekend, office workers along MG Road looking for a quick bite to eat and need to get there and back in air-conditioned comfort, millions of Bangaloreans whose eyes are thirsting for a sight of the Silver (or is it Blue and Purple) rakes of the BMRC, etc, ,
b. there will be well developed feeder service, i.e. the Orange and the Blue lines.
Of course, to hit the bullseye on the office worker segment, small modifications will have to be made. They need to have wayside halts (and bamboo ladders to go with them) at the following places: Oberoi (for the investment banking types), Kadamba/Adigas, Ajantha, Tandoor, Mayo Hall (to access the dozens of push carts assembled there) Brindavan, KFC/Barista and India Coffee House (oops forgot, they are no longer in business).
While waiting for this line to reach its full ridership numbers, BMRCL will have plenty of time to figure out where they want to take this line eastward beyond Kumble and south-west wards beyond Trinity.
Update: I just stepped out of my office. There is a possibility that this line will be extended from Trinity to Ulsoor police station and yes there are definite signs of this happening by 2012.
So, while the big picture is dismal, there are islands of joy (or more like Islands of Automation, as we used call them in the 80s in the world of electronics manufacturing) such as the aforementioned Sarkal Express, the Ulsoor Bus Stand to Byappanahalli line etc.
As the saying goes, when life deals you a lemon you learn to make lemonade!
compromise is the rufuge of cowards..
If we forget history, we are condemned to repeat it.
Remember, Calcutta.It was the best in the country.
Today it is the worst place to visit, at least till a few years ago.
That is because, the people of Calcutta, started calling their city Kolkatta and allowed the Babus and politicians to mess up their beautiful city. They too took refuge in and solace from high sounding moral looking excuses. They drove almost all the businessmen out.
Bangalore too is heading that way. We too are allowing Babu's in DMRC and the Sachivalay get away with Plain murder and loot of our dear Projects, especially Namma Metro.
Writing sattire is good for tickling someone. But it should finally create a meaningful movement for public good.
Buckle up Bangloreans. Question everyone involved. Knock every door to get to the bottom of the problem.
Good luck to all
Badrinath
full information provided..
Please visit this site and get the full info.
I am sure you will be alarmed to note this info.
Verify,Vrify and verify again before writing.
Badrinath
My dear cheerleader...
Let us start a movement to fix the correct blame by filing a PIL and seeing the appointment of an independent commision to look into the causes and facts.
Badrinath.
...if you are serious please lead the way. As silkboard has stated in an earlier post we are looking for volunteers to track and file the relevant PIL/RTI.
Dear Idontspam, How can we
Dear Idontspam,
How can we allow an ordinary BABU to play with our Money and Our dear NAMMA METRO.
...
If we dont speak up and act decisively, we will not have a Metro for a long time.
...
Why should we allow the BMRC BABUs to get away with this innefficiency and plain shirking of their responsibility.
Please substantiate how much money has been wasted and how? Also what responsibility has been shirked. It will be interesting to know as general public like me may not be aware. Since you believe we cant finish by 2010 what decisive action are you proposing that will change that fact.
I stand by my views that interfering in every decision made is not beneficial to the timely completion of any project. At the same time we need to hold the BMRC accountable for delays by tracking against a plan and notify where it may be going awry. I assume DMRC being the advisors to the project are providing their inputs in improving efficiency.
Cool down please, use this energy though
Badrinath sir, yes of course, we all hate this delay, absolutely no doubts on that point. Please join us in doing some tracking and digging of information, a few members would be interested as well.
Perhaps project management is their weakness. Or, perhaps, there are new political equations against some select contractors. Or whatever. But the point is this. Why call names and hurl accusitions without knowing what exactly their problems are. Calling names is not going to help anything unless it is based on clear facts (referring to words murder, loot etc)
Let us please civil and parliamentary when talking stuff on open forums like these.
For all the criticism that some of us have been heaping on them, BMRCL management has been responsive whenever we have asked for information or meetings. In fact, when we had met them, they came across as knowledgeable folks learning to deal with their constraints.
Some of us here will write to them on behalf of Praja and request for a meeting to "understand their time commitments and constraints". If we do get their time, let us not use it to hurl back abuses at them, lets just hear the new dates ands constraints directly from them. Past that, we can digest all information and call the bluffs as needed :)
If we don't get their time or response, we have RTI route available.
Truthful information is alsways useful and ultimately prevailing
Thank you all for being so involved.
The information given by me , is true to the best of my knoledge and is gathered from people connected with the project from both sides of the table. I am sure , no part of the facts given by me are manufactured and each of them is verifiable. I can collect the documentary proof if required for the purpose of PIl by someone.
We as bangloreans should not allow the political affiliations of contractos or babus affect our dear projects.
As for the query on the cost incurred, dear all, it is we who have to pay for every delay and the consequent costs.
As for the BMRC officials being extremely Knowledgeble, Being intelligent is one thing, but putting that inteligence to good use is altogether a different ball game. Every IAS is intelligent , else he would not have reached there.
What we have to check is the past recor of these officers in executing the projects of such nature. Being booking and having good, mild, language will not hive us a good metro in time. We need practical technocrats, who have executed such projects on field and who are ready to provide solutions instead of searching for scapegoats as the prent BMRC setup is doing.
No offence intended. But let us all go deep into this. This not a simple matter. Let us all think hard and contribute our bit, either by digging out the truth or by forcing people to think and do it for us.
Good luck to all
Badrinath
Delays to Namma Metro
Mr.Badrinth,
Read your various comments on this thread. I am not fully aware, but I do know a few items that have contributed to the delays & made BMRC officials look incompetent, though it was'nt their fault :
1) Police quarters (for Ulsoor station) could not be demolished earlier because alternate land for building quarters to shift police staff had not been handed over to BMRC by Police Dept.
2) ASI's study report for underground alignment in way of Tippu Sultan's old palace (near City Market) had also taken unduly long, as also IISC's study report about water tables along the entire underground section/s.
You say that we need "practical technocrats, who have executed such projects on field and who are ready to provide solutions instead of searching for scapegoats".
I dont think other than DMRC, anyone has the experience nor the knowledge in this country to execute such a project, & this is why, DMRC has been retained as a consultant.
The alignment drawings have been ready for quite sometime now, though physical work on the ground is yet to commence. Tunnel boring will be a huge exercise - this is going to decide when the Metro would be operational, & one wonders why they don't push for commencing this soonest.
What we could do is meet BMRC officials again & seek some answers.
Citizen Matters on Namma Metro
http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/view/886-bengaluru-metro-update
DH on Namma Metro
DH has a report today on NM.
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Mar172009/city20090317124529.asp
Some excerpts.
"Cutting through the bustling commercial and residential neighbourhoods of the city, covering a total distance of 33 kms across a North-South and East-West corridor, the project is expected to substantially reduce vehicular traffic once it is operational."
"The number of passengers expected to travel on the metro everyday is estimated at 10.20 lakhs in 2011 and 16.10 lakhs in 2021."
Those two statements don't together - just 10.2 lakhs/day will substantially reduce traffic? . Also a growth of ridership of just 60% over 10 years!!!
On Reach 1, viaduct works are underway on M G Road and foundation works are nearing completion in CMH Road. Works in the stretch between Halasuru police station and Trinity Circle has also started. The piers (concrete pillars) have come up in full length at 69 locations.
Why can't they put all their resources on to MG Road and finish the bloody thing? End the disruption on at least 1 stretch.
ABIDE needs to take on more of a governance role than a parellel executing body. They need to review operations and projects of all the big bodies (BBMP, BDA, BMRC, etc) in Bangalore and build those institutions so that 5 years from now there will be no need for ABIDE.
Srivathsa
Drive safe. It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.
Time for another meeting with BMRC?
Badri could join us this time along with others..also we can get more formal with the questions this time..
we can first work on the question before we meet them at their dbl road office!
DH Article Outdated
Srivathsa,
This DH article has quoted figs that have now been changed. It states 33 km whereas with the extensions, the trackage is now 42 km. Accordingly, the passenger numbers will also be incorrect as the old capacity numbers were based on previous estimates for 33km.
Further, a phase-2 for the metro had never been considered, but now, 2 more additional lines are likely. Thus, passenger numbers will also be increased accordingly, though BMRC's web page does not quote the revised stats.
I also think that we need a meeting with NM officials to verify why there have been delays & what is being done to reduce them in the future.
BMRCL got something right..
amidst all the bunglings and the delays..BMRCL has got some part of its plans correct..this is the decission to go with standard guage..
there is a news item today that DMRCL got its first standard guage train from korea or some place..Sreedharan was whemently supporting broad guage all the while..probably because of his IR background..
And now his pet project is making way for standard guage trains cos thats the way to go!
http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-4532.html
btw who was responsible for the std guage decission in blr?Mr Madhu? wish we had him..probably we would already been riding the train..if not for the petty sqabbles of the Gowda family!
Bangalore and Delhi metro
Hi All,
I am back in Bangalore after a long break.
Tried to get the maximum info on the Namma metro developments.
Nothing is comforting. The more I dig, the more dirt comes up.
I have noted that all of you are silent since long.
I hope you all activate your antenas and start talking and thinking again.
This is important in view of recent hapenings at DMRC.
Badrinath