Namma Metro may miss its deadline; tunneling machine awaiting new cutter head for nine months

BENGALURU: Godavari's wait for a 70-tonne head is threatening to further postpone the Namma Metro's first phase, and even when it does arrive, there's no guaranteeing it can complete the job.

The tunneling machine, deployed at a crucial stretch in the city, broke down in July 2014 and nine months on it is still awaiting a re placement cutter head from its suppli er in Italy. At this rate, it is unlikely for the first phase to be com pleted by the end of this year the dead line assured to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited the city last month.

The 42-km phase-one was to be completed two years ago.

"The previous cutter head broke down because it encountered big rocks," said Pradeep Singh Kharola, managing director, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, or BMRCL. "In erms of functionality , there is noth ng new in the one that we have ordered from Italy. It is a matter of luck."

Kharola said all tunneling work for he first phase will be completed by October. Godavari needed six months to tunnel through 350 metres from Mantri Square at Malleswaram towards Lakshmanapuri slum. The tunnel boring machine, one of four deployed for the project, still has to complete 615 metres towards Majestic Station, a crucial interjunction.

Of the overall 8.8-km tunneling re quired for the first phase of the Metro project, about 2 km remains to be completed.Kharola said a new cutter head for Godavari was loaded onto a ship in Italy on February 25 and was to reach Chennai Port in 21 days. He confirmed the shipment hasn't reached Chennai yet, but declined to give a reason for the delay . The cutter head is manufactured by Palmeiri Italy , a supplier to another Italian firm, Seli Group, the manufacturer of the boring machine. A 70-tonne cutter head costs about `5 crore. Ashok Shetty , vice president (thermal division) of Coastal TTS JV , the tunneling contractor using Godavari for the Metro's northern line, declined to comment citing BMRCL guidelines.

"The ground beneath Bengaluru is full of rocks. So (the Metro authorities) should have taken precautionary measures and ordered spares earlier," said urban transport expert M N Sreehari. "The underground section being the toughest should have been taken up first, and then the elevated parts." While the tunneling machines, Krishna and Kaveri, deployed at Chikpet area, were imported from China, the third one, Margarita, stationed near Majestic, was imported from South Korea.