The Delhi High Court had recently ruled that "any person raising construction (on the river bank area) was doing so at their own peril".

Environmentalists fighting for legal protection of the river banks say transgressions on the already-choked river bank are increasing day by day. Delhi Metro, however, claims they couldn't find another spot on the line for making the depot (where trains are repaired, washed and housed). It further said that constructing the water tank was "essential'" for the depot.

"We have the permission of the Central Water and Power Institute, Pune, IIT Delhi and the Yamuna Standing Committee for building the stations and the depot. The water-tank we are building is an integral part of the project. Water to clean the trains will be stored here. Most of the water will be recycled, and such a structure could only be made using concrete," said Anuj Dayal, spokesperson, DMRC.

"We did not get a place elsewhere on the Dwarka-Noida line to build the depot and the water-tank. In fact, our original plan was for 80 hectares, but we voluntarily reduced it to 30 hectares, keeping environmental concerns in mind. We have also created a drainage system so that the water can be absorbed by the flood plain. This is a very long line and it might be possible that the DMRC needs to build another depot if this one turns out to be too small," he said.

"It is difficult to understand how the Delhi Metro could not find place either in Noida or elsewhere to build the depot. This is a poor excuse. The river bed is quietly being turned into a large concrete structure. Many structures coming up here are permanent and permission to create such concrete structures only sets forth a multiplier effect," said Manu Bhatnagar, INTACH.

"Despite the fact that there are many cases pending in court regarding protection of the river bed and flood plain, the fact is that they still do not enjoy any legal protection. I filed a PIL in September 2007 for the same, but there is still no clear law on construction on the river bed or flood plains," said environmentalist Vinod Jain.

A recent HC judgment passed by an expert committee set up under the chairmanship of R K Pachauri said, "If the committee finds any construction, complete or incomplete, likely to affect adversely the ecology of the river or the flood plain, an interim report may be submitted."

According to DMRC officials, over 16,000 cases of violations such as squatting, travelling on undervalued tokens, creating nuisance, littering, refusing to provide reserved seats to women, senior citizens and the physically challenged have been detected by the flying squads since July.

"The DMRC personnel had so far been counselling offenders or handing them over to the police for production before the Metropolitan Magistrate. As there is only one magistrate, it hampered the work," said an official.

To deal with the problem, the DMRC administration decided to grant power to one Metro personnel at each of the 62 stations to impose and collect fines for offences within the Metro premises, including parking areas.

The authorised person will be the station manager and, in his absence, the station controller on duty. The new provisions will come into effect immediately. Offenders will be issued proper receipts for the fines collected.As per the provisions, drunkenness, creating nuisance, spitting, squatting or quarrelling will attract a fine of Rs.200, forfeiture of pass, ticket and removal from the carriage. Those found travelling without token or pass, or beyond authorised distance, can be fined an excess charge of Rs.50, apart from the difference in the fare.

Obstructing officials in carrying out their duty and misusing of alarm will attract a fine of Rs.500 and Rs.400 for unauthorised sale of articles on the Metro. Defacing Metro property will attract a penalty of Rs.200, unlawful entry and walking on track Rs.150. Those found unauthorised selling ticket will be fined Rs.200.

Experts agree that the Corporation and its contractors are indeed compromising on safety measures, as they race against time to complete the 128-km Phase II on schedule.

"The speed of work has been accelerated by DMRC but the monitoring of safety measures adopted at its various construction sites has not kept pace," said R.C. Kehar, former chairman, National Building Construction Company .

With DMRC contractors outsourcing work from subcontractors, who further depend on small-time contractors, ensuring accident-free construction is the responsibility of DMRC engineers, feel safety experts.

What's shocking is that the second accident has hap- pened within a fortnight of the collapse on Vikas Marg, in which a launcher and 11 concrete segments weighing some 850 tonnes had crashed onto the road, crushing peo- ple and vehicles.

DMRC, which had an impeccable record safety during the first phase of construction, has failed to live up to its own standards in the sec phase. ond Complaints about lack of barricading, inadequate lighting and lack of pedestrian crossings at construction sites are now common.

When Times City visited other stretches in the Capital where construction is under way -- like Munirka crossing and Oberoi flyover -- it found that safety norms are not being adhered to properly. Here's a lowdown:

OBEROI FLYOVER
It has been months since the PWD started the work of dismantling the `falling' concrete crash barriers on Lodhi Colony flyover (across Oberoi Hotel) to replace them with steel barriers like the ones installed on Defence Colony flyover. The private contractor has left the work mid way after dismantling the barrier across 100 meters stretch on the CGO Complex-Kaka Nagar carriageway.

PWD officials alleged that the traffic police are delaying the work by not giving a green signal. ``They have not yet given permission. It will take only two months to complete the work. We have already spent more than that waiting for clearance from traffic police,'' said a PWD official.

The cops, meanwhile, maintain that they had stopped the work after a boulder fell on a Honda City passing through the intersection below the flyover. The car's windscreen was smashed. ``Our aim is only to ensure safety of the road users. The chances of boulder falling while the railing of the flyover is being broken can even cause injury to people passing below. As soon as the contractor agrees to adhere to safety norms, we will grant the permission to start work there and then,'' said a senior traffic police official.

The cops had asked the contractor to put nylon safety nets under the area where the railing is broken. PWD had reportedly contended that this would lead to escalation of costs.

Responding to measures taken to make the stretch safe, a PWD official said: ``We have put barricades and warning ribbons.'' Not a single marshal has been deployed there to guide the traffic. But this is not enough as this is a high-speed corridor.

MUNIRKA FLYOVER
The construction of two flyovers on main Outer Ring Road has made the area very unsafe for road users. Incidentally, the contractor, which was responsible for Metro site crash, and also looking after this site seems to have learnt no lessons. At Munirka, even the part of the road under construction has not been cordoned off properly as barricades have carelessly been placed. Some of them go missing in the middle, exposing road users to dug-up areas.

The road is in a bad shape -- there are potholes all over and water overflowing from sewage lines on the sides. The pavements, which have been dug up too for a considerable part of the stretch, have not been segregated from the rest of the road and residents of the area say they need to walk carefully as they fear falling into a ditch.

Orders have been placed for the purpose by DMRC which would extend its route by 99 km under phase-II, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

The new coaches are planned for introduction by DMRC from July, 2009 to March 2011, Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken said in a written reply.

At present, the DMRC is facing a shortage of about five additional train sets to meet the traffic demand, he said.

"Parsvnath is proud to strengthen its association with DMRC through the construction of station box at Dhaula Kuan.

The project reinforces the confidence of DMRC in our execution capabilities," company Chairman Pradeep Jain said in a statement.

As per the contract, Parsvnath would construct a station box in the upcoming Dhaula Kuan station, which would be on the DMRC's Connaught Place-International Airport route.

The company is already developing shopping malls in 13 metro stations across the city, Jain said.

The project is scheduled to be completed within a period of 15 months, the company said.

The capital-based realty firm is currently developing 114 projects, spread over 211.32 million sq ft across 51 cities.

The Metro cited its busy schedule in completing several ongoing projects and said it is not possible to meet the target deadline of 2010 for construction of the project connecting Vasant Kunj and IGI airport, sources told PTI here.

The tunnel, when constructed, will bypass the traffic intersection at Mahipalpur, taking the high vehicular load off the expressway and help to decongest the existing links to the airport.

Confirming the Delhi Metro's stand, Chief Secretary Rajesh Mehta said, "yes, they have communicated to us that since most of its various projects are either on the completion stage or recently started it will be difficult for them to meet the deadline of two years for tunnel construction.

"However, the metro has not refused the job but is concerned of the time-frame for the project as new machines and technology will be required for constructing tunnel and that it is not possible to make them available in such a short duration," Mehta clarified.

"We are considering the matter," he said.

The Government is keen to implement the fastest and hassle-free links to the airport for private vehicles below the surface to ease traffic particularly during the prestigious Commonwealth Games when thousands of domestic as well foreign tourists are all set to visit the national capital.

"We are trying to optimise all our resources that are available. Considering the fact that new trains will be added to the fleet next year: we have decided to increase the frequency of metro trains.

Trains will now be available after about every four minutes on Shahdara-Rithala line during peak hours (morning and evening). They will be available every three minutes and 30 seconds on the Indraprastha-Dwarka route," said Anuj Dayal, Chief Public Relations Officet: DMRC.

The increased frequency will result in a rise in the total number of metro train trips from 1,300 to 1,319 per day This will create an additional carrying capacity of about 23,000 passengers daily, Dayal said.

"The frequency has been increased by reducing stoppage time by five to 10 seconds at some of the stations and also inducting extra trains during peak hours," he said.

Delhi Metro has a fleet of 70 trains with four coaches each, which is being augmented by inducting additional 131 trains in a phased manner from next year onwards.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of the empowered committee under the Cabinet Secretary on Friday.

It was decided at the meeting to "relax norms" for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) about property development in existing or proposed stations. The DMRC can now use the profit earned from property development to procure rolling stock.

Till now DMRC had to seek the government's permission to develop property on its premises.

A senior government official who was part of this development said the idea behind relaxing norms is to ensure DMRC can fund its own projects and procure stock without waiting for government assistance. "They have been allowed to develop property even in the past but now they no longer need permission from the Urban Development Ministry," the official said. "Nor will they have to follow strict regulations on land-use.

A Tunnel Boring Machine was used to make the tunnel. The TBM was lowered in the INA shaft in May 2008. The 1,008 meters tunneling was done 12 meters below the earth's surface and a total of 837 rings, each 1.2 meters in length, were installed simultaneously along with the tunneling process. Each ring has six segments and these segments and rings are connected by using 17,402 bolts.

The second phase of the Delhi Metro will comprise about 30 kilometer of the underground section of which about 16 kilometer were to be built using TBMs. The other three tunnels which were made using the same technology in the past four months included two at Hauz Khas and one at Jorbagh.

Already installed at Jangpura

In an effort to provide more comfortable working conditions to its work force, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has installed high-tech cooling plants on its tunnels under construction on the Central Secretariat-Badarpur stretch.

These plants would keep the underground temperature in control and provide air-conditioned comfort to workers and engineers operating the Tunnel Boring Machines and working about 40 feet below the surface.

These plants would also ensure smooth functioning of the TBMs, keeping the shafts and the cutter head cool.

According to DMRC, generally the underground temperature shoots up to more than 40 degrees Celsius even in winters making it difficult for the workers to work.

The TBMs usually shut down operations when the temperature crosses the 65 degrees Celsius mark. However, with the help of these plants the temperature would be maintained at about 25 degrees.

Each cooling plant will have a capacity of 150 tons of refrigeration and consist of two units which would cater to the four TBMs scheduled to work on this corridor.

Each unit of the cooling plant has a pump and fan consisting of six blades each. These plants have been imported from Singapore and the pumps have been made in Germany.

"Six new baggage inspection machines have already rolled in and they will be installed at stations on a priority basis to check baggages being carried by passengers," Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesman Anuj Dayal said.

The measure has been taken in view of the recent serial blasts in Delhi, he added.

The Metro stations where the machines would be installed first include New Delhi, Old Delhi, Rajeev Chowk (Connaught Place) and Karol Bagh.

The final list of few other stations will be drawn out soon, Dayal said.

The service is scheduled to begin after a month, according to a statement issued by the DMRC. The cab agency, Easy Cabs, will set up kiosks at 25 Metro stations, including Rithala, Pitampura, Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Central Secretariat, Pragati Maidan and Dwarka among others. In order to avail the cab services, commuters can contact the personnel manning the kiosks, who in turn will arrange for a taxi to the specified destination.

As for the financial details, the DMRC has said Easy Cabs will pay a rent to the corporation for the space they will use at the stations. The DMRC will also receive a portion of the revenue generated, as per a fixed formula worked out with the agency. The deal will be valid for three years to start with. DMRC sources say a need for the service was felt as certain parts of Delhi, such as South Delhi, are yet to come under the Metro umbrella.

"These taxis will help commuters reach South Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, the airport and other areas immediately, once this service becomes operational, since the Metro will be reaching these destinations only in the next two years," a DMRC official said.

DMRC already has 120 feeder buses running on 17 routes, ferrying over 60,000 commuters every day. It is also providing a cycle renting service at the Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station, which now has 30 cycles available for hire.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will soon start a new training school to make up for a shortage of training engineers and train operators for Phase II of the metro projects. With the metro's reach slated to extend by another 122 km, the DMRC network in the city by 2010 will be 190 km, making it one of the largest in the world.

"To run such a large system, DMRC will have to increase its present strength by recruiting another 3,000 personnel who will have to be given specialised training in metro systems and operations," said a senior DMRC official.

A new metro training institute will be set up at Shastri Park with a simulator building to train the new entrants. The building will have 15 classrooms accommodating 30 trainees in each room apart from five model rooms where trainees will be taught signalling, automatic fare control, electrification and train running operations.

"Train drivers (operators) will undergo six months' training and engineers will be trained for 10 to 12 weeks in the classroom apart from field exposure," the official said.

"The colour of the signages have been made according to the colour of metro line. The yellow line will have all signages in yellow colour. Likewise, the blue line will have signages in blue and the red line in red. This will help the passengers recognise the train route better," a Delhi Metro official said.

Also, a new signage informing commuters about minding the gap between the train and platform and to get away from sliding doors will also be stuck on the exit doors soon. "We make an announcement before the halt of the train at each station, which generally creates chaos among the new commuters or those who do not travel in metro frequently," a Delhi Metro official said.

These steps have been taken after a detailed study of the passenger behaviour. In addition to this, a new route map has also been devised. Apart from the regular features, this map will also give commuters an idea of the nearby tourist locations.

While the work on Line II is already on the way, on Lines I and III, the work will start soon. The signages will be fluorescent -- they will glow in the dark.

The DMRC has estimated an expenditure on signages of over Rs 1 crore. A team of metro engineers designed the new pattern of signages and the DMRC will be floating the tender soon to award the project.