Tata-Gulermak JV bags Pune Metro tunneling projects worth Rs2,283 cr

Pune (Urban Transport News): The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha-Metro) awarded the contract for tunnelling projects for the underground section of the Pune Metro to Tata joint venture (JV) with Turkish company Gulermak, Gulermak-Tata Projects Ltd JV.

"The JV has bagged contracts for both the packages worth Rs.2,283 crore with Package 1 of 2.5 km worth Rs.1,127 crores and Package II of 2.5 km worth Rs.1,156 crores. The tunnelling work will see 7,900 shots with 30 to 40 blasts on an average per day", said Atul Gadgil, Executive Director, Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation.

This 5.019-km long stretch is one of the most challenging parts of the 16.56 km PCMC-Swargate Pune Metro rail line (Corridor-I), as it passes through densely populated parts of Kasba Peth, Budhwar Peth and Mandai market of the old city of Pune city. Pune Metro official said that they will need to relocate some of the people staying on private lands in this section.

They have worked out a rehabilitation and resettlement plan under which people will be dislocated in the same locality by constructing homes around their existing homes and shops. A total of 382 home units and 106 commercial units would be constructed by Maha-Metro for the project-affected people.

The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha-Metro) had invited bids for design and construction of underground stations at Shivajinagar and Civil Court and tunnels between Agriculture College and Northern End of Budhwar Peth Station on the North-South Corridor of Pune Metro rail project. Four companies namely Larsen & Toubro, AFCONS Infrastructure, J Kumar Infraprojects, and Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. participated in the tender.

The bid for the second stretch from Budhwar Peth Station to Swargate has been opened on Wednesday. The Gulermak-TPL JV had earlier bagged the Rs.1,190.52 crores contract for 3.44 km long stretch of the underground section of the Lucknow Metro rail project. Earlier, Tata Projects was also worked in the tunnelling work for the Mumbai Metro Line 3 from Dharavi to Dadar.