Chennaiites will now have to wait longer for completion of the elevated stretch of Metro rail between Officers’ Training Academy and the airport.
The project is likely to be delayed with the termination of the contract of Lanco Infratech Limited due to delay in execution of work on the 5.2 km stretch.
The revised deadline for finishing the elevated stretch was April 2014 but with the termination of Lanco’s contract, it won’t be possible to meet this deadline as work in the stretch is likely to be delayed, Metro sources said.
The biggest headache for Chennai Metro Rail will now be to find a new contractor. Officials feel this could take nearly three to four months. “This also depends on how good the agency is when it comes to executing work,” a metro rail source said.
Metro rail officials told Express that the contract was terminated due to inordinate delay by the company in executing the work. The company was awarded the contract for Rs 178.94 crore in August 2011 for the construction of the elevated stretch.
“They should have completed 80 to 90 per cent of work by now but they managed to complete only 30 per cent,” an official said.
In a further blow to metro rail, Lanco has started legal proceedings over the termination of contract. This is cause of concern as legal wrangles could also further delay the project. An officials said now the biggest challenge is to find some quick solutions so that the work on the stretch resumes.