Title - Price rise will not be a cause for Metro delay: Urban development minister

JAIPUR: Urban Development and Housing (UDH) minister Shanti Dhariwal on Friday assured that the current price rise in building materials and inflation will not be allowed to become a cause for delay in the Metro project.During a visit to the metro sites on Friday, the minister informed that a meeting was held between contractors, UDH department officials, Delhi Metro (DMRC) and Jaipur Metro (JMRC) officials to come out with ways and means so that the construction can be completed on time.While talking to the media Dhariwal said, "The state government will solve the situation amiably and work will be completed within the given deadline - June 2013. We are having meeting with the contractors on a regular basis and the state government will help them to overcome the situation."The minister asserted that the DMRC and the contractors will be hold responsible if there is a delay after so much efforts. Supporting the minister's statement, DMRC managing director Mangu Singh said, "The work will be completed within the deadline. We had a meeting with the minister on Thursday and assurance has been given to the people after our commitment."With the rise in prices of steel and cement recently, the input cost of construction for the project has increased. This has affected the project badly as contractors believe the project as a loss-making effort and so they have started showing less interest.

Jaipur Metro, if completed on time, could make a world record for the fastest construction of a Metro rail project. So far, the project has witnessed many stumbling blocks. Work at several sites on the 9.25 km-long stretch from Mansarovar to Chandpole came to a halt after the Rajasthan high court banned mining from Banas river in May.

Similarly, work between Shyam Nagar and Ram Nagar stations was delayed as the land owner of Dhamani Garden, where rehabilitation for residents of 12 houses of Ved Vatika colony was proposed, moved court.

According to a DMRC official, the corporation was planning to complete the civil work before December 2012 when an inspection team from the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) will conduct a number of oscillation trials. However, due to delay in the land transfer process earlier, the trial run of Jaipur Metro has to be delayed by two months.

DMRC officials claimed that land acquisition led to a three-month delay. "We are hopeful to complete the work before June 2013. But the time given for the project was very demanding and filled with interruptions which made it more challenging. We are taking all the measures to complete it in the stipulated time," DMRC project director Lalit Meghnani said.