The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Sky bus: corporate giants extend support to KRC

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 23, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Sky bus: corporate giants extend support to KRC

By K. S. Sudhi

KOCHI, MAY 22. In a rare gesture, some of the corporate giants of the country extended support to the trial run of the sky bus urban transport system piloted by the Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC).

The Tata Steel, Essar, Jindal, Grasim Cements, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and the ACC have come forward to support the trial project of the sky bus that is being set up at Madgoan (Goa).

While the Jindal has supplied steel that is required for setting up the track rail at 50 per cent concession rate, the Tata Steel has supplied nearly 3,000-tonne steel required for making round bars and super structure free of cost. The contribution of the Essar group was 500 tonnes of steel plates required for the construction of pile caps and pre-cast elements. The Grasim have supplied 3,000 tonnes of cement at 50 per cent discount whereas the ACC group provided ready-mix concrete at a discount price of 15 per cent. The largesse of the corporate giants has helped the KRC to save at least Rs. 4 crores, said the KRC managing director, B. Rajaram.

The KRC has initiated discussions with the Austria-based firm, Elin EBG, for installing gearboxes to the motors that are to drive the sky bus. The KRC has already despatched the machine axles made by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, for the sky bus to Austria for fitting gearboxes, he said. Later, they will be reassembled at the ICF.

The Austrian firm has offered to supply some motors and electric components required for the sky bus free of cost. The microprocessor controls for the bus will be designed and developed at Hyderabad. The BEML will design and develop the traverser, which shifts the coaches from one line to another, and two additional coaches for the KRC. The company had earlier supplied two coaches free of cost to the KRC, Mr. Rajaram said.

The Goa-based KINECO, a partner of the KRC in the sky bus project, will undertake the construction of coaches using special composite material. The company has received financial assistance from the Department of Science and Technology for the same.

Mr. Rajaram said the construction of foundation including fixing of 360 piles, which are fixed at a depth of 12 meters, and pillars have been completed. Nearly 40 per cent of the work of the pre-cast elements has also been completed, he said.

The KRC hopes all the components of the sky bus will arrive at the Madgoan site by the second week of June. It has also been scheduled to conduct the first trial run of the sky bus during the last week of June.

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