Delhi Metro board to meet today; blacklists firm

New Delhi: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will face tough questions from the Urban Development Ministry on safety issues, including a series of accidents and derailments involving it, at the board meeting on Wednesday.

This comes three days after a metro train jumped off the tracks in east Delhi.

Urban Development Secretary M Ramachandran, who is also the Chairman of DMRC, said that Sunday's derailment of a metro train is the top of  the agenda at the meeting.

Meanwhile, DMRC formally blacklisted Arch Consultant, the design consultant of Gammon India, for five years for having "worked to the detriment to the interest of DMRC and having grossly misconducted" in connection with the July 12 Zamrudpur mishap.

Arch Consultant was responsible for the design of the Pier 67 near Zamrudpur on the Central Secretariat-Badarpur line, which collapsed on July 12 killing six persons.

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"After detailed examination of the process of design, contract, enquiry report findings, memorandum of charges and replies furnished by Arch Consultancy Services Pvt. Ltd., the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to blacklist it for five years," a DMRC release said.

"Arch Consultancy Services Pvt. Ltd. (and their sister concerns/partners) having worked to the detriment to the interest of DMRC and having grossly misconducted, shall be blacklisted for a period of minimum five years from doing any business with DMRC or as DDC (Detailed Design Consultants) through any contractor working under DMRC," it said.

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It also said the consultants will be removed from all running contracts.

"Other engineering organisations dealing in similar design works will be informed of this decision by DMRC," the release said.

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The meeting, which was scheduled for Wednesday, much before the incident, will discuss issues related to safety on the transport system over which questions have been raised recently.