Title - Govt panel formed on airport metro

New Delhi: The urban development ministry said on Monday it has constituted a two-member panel to affix responsibility for defects in the Delhi Airport Metro Express line that led to the suspension of its services on 8 July.The line is operated by a subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, part of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group.“Repair work by DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Corp.) has to be done as soon as possible and the cost will be met by those who are liable under the contractual agreement,” Sudhir Krishna, secretary, ministry of urban development, said at a press conference on Monday. The panel comprises A.K. Gupta, additional member (works), Indian Railways, and D. Diptivilasa, additional secretary in the ministry. A joint inspection panel that includes officials from the Railways, DMRC and Reliance Infrastructure has so far located faults in 25% of the bearings on the line.The airport line which started operations in February 2011 ferried 18,000 to 20,000 people a day. The fault in the bearings was detected in May when concessionaire Reliance Infrastructure carried out annual inspections. “The drawings were not followed when the bearings were laid and so the defects existed from day one,” said Sumit Banerjee, head-infrastructure, Reliance Infrastructure. “We had been told that the bearings will last for 15 years.”

Mangu Singh, managing director, DMRC, said the bearings cost Rs. 86 lakh. “Until the inspection is completed we cannot estimate the extent of the damage or the cost. We hope to finish by the end of the month so that the repair work can start.” Once the repair is done, the airport line will be tested, after which the Railways will give safety nod before the line can reopen, Krishna said.