CVC to probe Metro airport line mess

The Union urban development (UD) ministry has asked the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to “guide” the government to crack the whip on Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials indicted for shoddy civil work in the Airport Metro Express line. Moushumi Das Gupta reports.

The Union urban development (UD) ministry has asked the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to “guide” the government to crack the whip on Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials indicted for shoddy civil work in the Airport Metro Express line.

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The move comes nearly two months after an inquiry panel held DMRC and its top management, including chief Mangu Singh, responsible for neglecting overall control and not monitoring defects on the line.

Train services on the Rs 3869-crore, 22.7-km link had to be suspended for more than six months last year due to major defects in civil work.

The high-speed line — the first metro project in Delhi on a public private partnership model between DMRC and Reliance Infrastructure — was commissioned in February 2011.

In a letter to central vigilance commissioner Pradeep Kumar on June 12, urban development secretary Sudhir Krishna said: “I shall be grateful if the CVC may kindly look into the whole issue in view of the enquiry report and guide this ministry for taking further necessary action.”

The UD ministry had been unable to act on the probe report as questions were raised about its jurisdiction.

Sources said that once the CVC gives its recommendations, they would be binding on the government. Soon after the train services were suspended in June 2012, a joint inspection committee, including officials of the railway ministry and DMRC, was formed.

The panel found major defects in civil works.

Not satisfied with the first report, the government set up another two-member enquiry panel headed by AK Gupta, the then additional member (works) of Railway Board, and D Diptivilasa, additional secretary, UD ministry.

The second panel held the DMRC responsible for the defects. One of the members fixed the responsibility on the DMRC top management, including current chief Mangu Singh, Kumar Keshav, then director (projects) and RN Joshi, then director (finance). Mangu Singh was director (works) then.