MahaMetro’s dreams to assemble coaches of Pune Metro near Nagpur may be dashed as it is yet to get land for setting up an assembly plant. MahaMetro had sought land from both the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and MIDC but has not got any response so far.
International bids for the supply of 102 coaches for Pune Metro has been awarded to Titagarh Firema, an Indian company in a joint venture (JV) with an Italian firm. The JV is supposed to supply 102 ultra modern state-of-the-art aluminium bodied coaches.
As per the agreement, 25% of the coaches are to be manufactured at their plant in Italy and the balance 75% will be produced and commissioned at the MahaMetro coach manufacturing plant near Nagpur. If this happens, it will be for first time that aluminium bodied coaches will be manufactured in India. The delivery of Pune Metro coaches is expected to start from January 2021. However, given the delay in land acquisition for the project, there is little chance that MahaMetro’s plant will be ready by then.
MahaMetro had submitted a proposal for acquiring 50 acres land for the plant in September 2018. Getting no response from JNPT, MahaMetro officials then sought land from MIDC in Butibori and so far it is yet to get any green signal for that land too.
Metro had approached MIDC when Devendra Fadnavis was chief minister. He had promised to provide the land fast. However, Fadnavis then got busy with Mahajanadesh Yatra and then the election code of conduct came into force. As a result, the proposal could not move forward. Now it is up to the new government to provide land.
The detailed project report (DPR) of the plant is ready and according to it, the first phase of the plant will cost Rs 100 crore for the construction of the boundary wall and sheds and for buying cranes. The coach supplier will bring the remaining equipment to the plant site. Pune Metro needs 102 coaches. A 10% discount will be given on the coaches assembled at the plant. It is an initiative under the ‘Make in India’ policy of the central government. The DPR also states that 40% of the material used in the coaches will have to be procured indigenously. This percentage will increase in the future tenders.