MMRDA may blacklist Scomi from Monorail bidding...

A day after terminating the contract with Larsen & Toubro and Scomi Engineering (LTSE) as Monorail operator, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority is contemplating blacklisting Scomi Engineering to ensure it doesn't bid again in the procurement process of Monorail coaches, MMRDA officials said.

The authority may introduce technical conditions making Scomi, a Malaysian firm, ineligible for the bidding process because of its track record in running the modern rail, the officials said, adding that bids would be floated for purchasing five new trains from the international market.

Scomi has failed to provide 15 trains as agreed under the contract; it supplied only 10. Of these, six are non-functional and have not been repaired despite repeated reminders by MMRDA. This delayed the second phase of Monorail, from Wadala to Jacob Circle on the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle route.

While Scomi Engineering is likely to be blacklisted in the coming months, MMRDA will not take the same action against L&T, with which it had a joint venture for building and running the Monorail service, as "it has done a satisfactory job", completing civil construction work as per the contract.

"We are ultimately going to blacklist Scomi Engineering. But since it's a multinational company, the central government's process will have to followed to blacklist the Malasyian firm," an MMRDA official said, adding, "Scomi itself may not participate in the bidding process in view of its weak financial strength, but we would like to make sure of that."

Scomi Engineering did not comment on the plan to blacklist it. Metropolitan Commissioner RA Rajeev was also not available for an official comment.

At present, manufacturers that could potentially bid for Monorail coaches include Kawasaki (Japan), CRRC China, Hitachi (Japan), Bombardier Transportation (Canada) and Alstom (France) among others.

On Friday, MMRDA took over Chembur-Wadala Monorail operations, and it expected to start its second phase soon.

In its termination letter to LTSE on Friday, MMRDA cited that the venture was 'persistently disregarding instructions' to conduct repairs and supplying the required number of trains.

Monorail operations have come under the scanner of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) over irregularities. In September, MMRDA gave another chance to LTSE to restart phase one operations which had been shut down due to a fire in November 2017. It also increased the trip rate to Rs 10,600 from Rs 4,600.

Monorail construction kicked off in 2008. While L&T was appointed as the civil construction contractor, Scomi Engineering was in charge of manufacturing the rolling stock and ensuring its smooth operation. But ever since the rail became operational in February 2014, it has been in the news for constant breakdowns, and then the fire breakout in an empty coach, resulting in services being suspended between November 2017 and August 2018.

Wanted: A New Driver

• MMRDA said Scomi Engineering didn’t supply agreed no. of trains, didn’t repair malfunctioning rakes
• Manufacturers that could now bid for coaches include Kawasaki (Japan), CRRC China, Hitachi (Japan), Bombardier Transportation (Canada), Alstom (France)