Policy Row Erupts Over Chennai Metro's Delhi Metro Contract

The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has officially handed over the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) contract for its ambitious 118.9-km Phase II expansion to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in a deal worth ₹5,870 crore, a move that has ignited controversy for ignoring Tamil Nadu's employment and language policies.

The Letter of Acceptance (LoA) was formally exchanged between CMRL Managing Director M.A. Siddique and DMRC's Dr. Vikas Kumar on Wednesday, marking the beginning of a 12-year contract-extendable by three more years-that will see DMRC manage the entire O&M for three new corridors (C3, C4, and C5) and three maintenance depots.

"Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has handed over the Letter of Acceptance (LoA) for Operation and Maintenance of its Phase II network consisting of a total of 118.9 route km spread over three corridors ie C3 (Madhavaram Milk Colony to Siruseri SIPCOT II Metro), C4 (Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass) and C5 (Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur) including three Maintenance Depots, to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd at a gross cost of Rs. 5870 crores," the CMRL said in a statement.

The Controversy

However, critics argue that the outsourcing model circumvents crucial state mandates, such as Tamil language requirement, dilution of reservation policy, and shift from permanent to contract jobs, according to a report in DT Next.

R Elangovan, the former vice-president of Dakshin Railway Employees Union (DREU), told the publication: "The DMRC has already asked its staff in Delhi about their willingness to shift to Chennai. And, with contract hiring taking place across India, we wonder what chances will people of Tamil Nadu have to get hired."

The job aspirants seeking to work in the Chennai Metro are mandated to have knowledge of Tamil in three attributes: read, write and speak. Also, the CMRL had earlier announced that there will be reservations for categories like general, BC, BC Muslims, MBC and SC and ST.

He continued, "Also, as the CMRL has decided to outsource O&M to the DMRC, the two components (Tamil and TN reservation policy becomes nullified. Also, the CMRL is already doing away with these components by employing contract staff for phase

However, it has to be seen how the tussle between efficiency-driven privatisation and equitable employment policies is set to dominate public discourse in the days to come.