NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro, widely hailed as an island of excellence, has actually been found to have promoted monopoly over the past 10 years in the procurement of rail fastening systems. It did so by naming a proprietary item, Vossloh 336, rather than giving specifications of a generic fastening system, in its detailed project report (DPR), citing safety reasons.
This anomaly of a brand name figuring in a DPR came to light when Delhi Metro prepared similar documentation for metros coming up in other cities, again specifying Vossloh 336 as the only recommended fastening system for all the tracks laid by them. The corrective action taken by the ministry of urban development (MoUD) to introduce a level playing field for tenders prompted the affected manufacturer, Patil Vossloh Rail Systems, to file a writ petition in the Delhi high court. (…)
via Delhi Metro caught in monopoly vs safety debate – The Times of India.