Delhi Metro X HIPL: Changing the Way People Commute, With Metro Construction in India
Heritage Infraspace Pvt Limited (HIPL), as one of the best construction companies in India, has worked on many metro rail projects all over India, and one of its most prestigious projects has been the Delhi Metro projects. HIPL has had the opportunity to provide its services in the construction of the crucial metro station of Krishna Park Extension for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
Here’s a look into the observations made, challenges faced, and solutions provided for the metro construction in India.
HCC-VCCL Joint Venture for DMRC Project — The client
· Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) is a mass rapid transit company run equally by the central government and the state government of Delhi. All the construction and operations of the Delhi Metro is managed by the Delhi Government.
· The Delhi Metro is considered to be the largest and busiest metro rail system in the country. It is the second oldest after Kolkata Metro construction in India.
· This project was a part of the joint venture of the HCC (Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd) and VCCL (Vensar Constructions Company Ltd), which was awarded to them in 2020.
· HCC has been one of the major contractors for metro rail construction in India, and were the ones who also built the Kolkata Metro back in 1995
Projects awarded to HIPL for the Delhi’s Metro construction in India
· HIPL was contracted to work on Krishna Park Extension, an important metro station
· HIPL provided their services in Diaphragm Wall Construction, a segment we are best-known for and have pioneered in India
· HIPL worked in tandem with other prominent contractors and the state and central governments, who were leading and monitoring the projects’ progress.
· The Krishna Nagar Extension was awarded to HIPL in 2020 as a part of the Metro Phase-4, where we worked under the HCC-VCCL JV.
Challenges in this project
· Krishna Park is located in an area that sees a lot of activity. Which meant securing an entire stretch for the excavation work and diverting the traffic on to a different path.
· Transporting various construction material, utilities, machinery, etc was a task on hand, given that both the location saw constant and heavy flow of vehicular and foot traffic in congested spaces.
· Keeping up with the strict pollution control standards for construction in public spaces by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Pollution Control Board (PCB). This was important since Delhi is notorious for its poor quality of air during winters.
· One of the biggest challenges with construction for the metro station is cutting down trees, which is highly frowned upon by the NGT and PCB.
· Another huge challenge was to deal with the regular lockdowns imposed every time there was a spike in the Covid-19 spread during the work on Krishna Nagar Extension.
· There was a tight deadline from the government, as both the areas were active locations and holding up daily activities for long construction projects would mean inconveniencing the residents.
