The Hindu : A clarification by ICF

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 01, 2003

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National

A clarification by ICF

J. Bakthavatchalam, Public Relations Officer, Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, writes:

This refers to your report, "Khurana ready for probe into coach deal'' (April 20). At a media interaction here, after making a presentation about ICF and its projects, two major issues were raised — the supply of coaches to AP Metro MMTS (Multi Model Transport System) and the modernisation of ICF to produce European standard coaches. Another issue which was subsequently raised was: Why did ICF not submit a bid for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation tender?

It was clarified that ICF had committed to supply the highest quality of AC EMU coaches for AP Metro with significant upgrades of interiors and a new type of painting scheme. To a specific query, it was clarified that the coaches would be 80 to 85 per cent of the qualitative levels of the DMRC coaches but at less than 1/6th the cost, and the cost comparison of Rs. 5.75 crores for a six-car rake of MMTS was made with Rs. 33 crores for a six-car rake of Delhi Metro. The intention was to emphasise that MMTS/Hyderabad got a coach of an enhanced variety for their system at a very competitive cost — and not to comment on the cost at which Delhi Metro Rail Corporation obtained the stock as that does not concern ICF.

With regard to non-participation in the tender of DMRC, it was clarified that ICF was to handle the coaches against the World Bank project of Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation and RCF or other coach factories under different Ministries could only, therefore, be in the zone of consideration of DMRC. It was also stated that ultimately DMRC has decided to give technical know-how to BEML for indigenous manufacture of the rakes duly obtaining technology from Rotem/Korea.

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