Improper cost assessment makes Indore Metro Rail Project costlier

Indore, India (Urban Transport News): Experts found some major irregularities in the design and project cost assessment of the Indore Metro Rail project amid the slow speed in execution of the project. It has been revealed that the detailed design report (DPR) of the Indore Metro is prepared according to the seismic zone (earthquake zone) - 4, while the city falls in zone-2. Such a type of mistake not happened anywhere in the whole country.

Seismic Zone-4 falls in the Himalayan ranges and Shillong. Due to changing zones, the cost of the metro has increased by 25 percent. In Rs 7,500 crores metro rail project, Rs 1,875 crores will be incurred only because of putting it in the wrong zone. There is a plan to take it to Mau-Pithampur, but that too is in Zone-3 itself.

The surprising thing is that the metro plan in Ahmedabad, which has suffered mild earthquakes every year, has been made according to Zone-3. The officers are also wondering when such an earthquake occurred in Indore, which was such a big change in the project. 5.27 km tenders of the project have been released by MPMRCL. After the tender was issued, the condition was added that the seismic zone in which Indore is located, the metro should be designed by increasing one zone from it. This point is also a cause of conflict between the construction agency Dilip Buildcon and General Consultant. The General Consultant has stopped 100 designs, in which technical reason is also being told that the earthquake is not the right zone.

Rs 7,500 crores have been approved for the 31.55 km Indore Metro train project, but the construction work has not been started even after two years.

Design in 4 zones will increase the use of steel. In other cities, the metro has been designed according to the seismic zone. The cost of one km metro line is Rs 90 to Rs 100 crores, a 25% increase from the wrong zone

According to SS Rathore, Managing Director of Gujarat Metro, up to the Rector scale, 4.0 shocks occur here every year. The city is in Zone-3. The metros are built accordingly. Dr. Brajesh Dixit, Managing Director of Maha Metro said that planning should be done according to the area which is legal and technically.

Senior Architect Atul Seth said that Bhopal is also in seismic zone-2 like Indore. The metro is being built there accordingly. There is no condition to change the zone there. Due to this, work is going on fast speed there. The condition of increasing the zone is serious negligence. This has greatly increased the cost of the Metro Rail Project.

For more details, please explore the Indore Metro page of Urban Transport News.