Alleging that there has been an enormous cost escalation in the Mumbai Metro Rail project, BJP today demanded that Maharashtra government should conduct a special audit to find out the `real cost’. “There has been a cost escalation of upto 300 percent in the Mumbai Metro Rail, which is a public-private-partnership project. I have written to the chief secretary J S Saharia and demanded a special CAG audit,” BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya said here.
Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Infra owns a 69 pc stake in Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL), the execution agency. State-run Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) holds 26 per cent equity while the rest is held by Veolia Transport RATP Asia. Somaiya said he sought details of the cost escalation from MMRDA, but drew a blank. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is the chairman of MMRDA, did not question the cost escalation, Somaiya alleged, adding that he would be meeting the CAG next week. Because of the increased cost, the commuters would have to shell out more when the Metro becomes operational, Somaiya said.
