Despite opposition, MMRDA conducts dry run of monorail
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16/02/2012
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Free Press Journal (Mumbai)
In what is being seen as a cheap tactic by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority ( MMRDA) of having a dry run of the monorail despite opposition from the BJP, the authority has said that it was just an internal process of the electrical testing that was undertaken for the monorail since the last three weeks. They have also denied of having any dry run and said it would done later. " We didn't took the monorail out on the tracks and we would do the dry run on a future date," said an MMRDA official requesting anonymity.
On Tuesday, BJP member Madhav Bhandari complained to the Maharashtra Election Commissioner Neela Satyanarayan claiming the test- run as a violation of the code of conduct to influence the voters. As a result, MMRDA had to lie to the media that the test would be postponed to attract minimum attention.
" The Congress is stooping down to below the belt tactic of using the state agency MMRDA to influence the voters. However I will again complain to the EC as they had made it like an event violating the norms," said Bhandari. Even though MMRDA is denying of any test run, the onlookers have said that they saw the monorail running on the tracks for at least 200 meters on Wednesday and up to Bhakti Park on Tuesday night. There has also been a blamegame between the MMRDA and Scomi, who along with the Larsen and Toubro ( L& T) is executing the project. Scomi wanted a big function of the dry run and hence they had informed the media. This shows a clear lack of communication and ego battles between MMRDA and Scomi.
MMRDA is also not enjoying good relations with ( L& T) thus putting the future of the project in jeopardy.
The electrical testing for the first phase of the monorail from Wadala to Mysore Colony ( 4.5 kms) was going on since long.
MMRDA was trying to have a trial run on the same stretch since the last six months, but it was delayed for some technical reasons, including the fatal accident in July where two people were killed. However despite repeated attempts, Additional MMRDA commissioner Ashwini Bhide who is looking after the project was not available for her version.