About 150 Delhi airport metro line workers may lose jobs

DMRC that has taken over service from Reliance Infra plans to retain about 250 employees

The Delhi Airport Metro Expressline has changed hands with the walking away of Reliance Infrastructure but some 150 employees working for the first privately run metro system in the country are set to lose their jobs. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which has taken over the service after the private operator expressed its inability to run it, plans to retain about 250 employees.

Among those expected to face the heat are senior management functionaries of Delhi Airport Metro Expressline Ltd (DAMEL), a special purpose vehicle of RInfra, a person close to the development told Business Standard. Besides, private security personnel deputed at the stations would also be  shown the door, since DMRC plans to replace private security with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Most of the employees that DMRC plans to retain would be from the lower management and workers on stations. These people would be given offer letters from DMRC by the end of July. DMRC plans to hire these on a one-year contract basis.

DAMEL has 400 employees on its payroll. DMRC will pay their salaries since July 1 to DAME.  DMRC executives revealed many issues could arise if the higher management from Reliance would be hired. “Their salaries are higher than those in DMRC and the management staff of DMRC could have problems with that,” said an official closely associated with the project.  DMRC also thinks it is viable for the Express line to have a lean management and worker staff as money and time is spent on their pre-employment training. Among the staff retained are “highly skilled people like train drivers and station operators” that cannot be easily replaced. “If we want to run smooth services we have to retain them,” said the official.

Since July 1, DMRC has taken over the operations of Airport Expressline, ‘in the larger public interest’ after R-Infra walked out of the project citing ‘material breach’ of the concessionaire. A team of hundred people from DMRC had taken over the operations of Airport Expressline last month. “We are currently in the process to screen people and we will come out with our decision towards the end of July,” Sharat Sharma, director (operations), DMRC, told Business Standard.

The people who would not be retained by DMRC would have to make settlements with their employer--R-Infra according to the terms of employment contract. RInfra refused to comment on how it would compensate its  staff which will not be retained by DMRC.

LAST STATION

Who goes:
Senior management functionaries of Delhi Airport Metro Expressline Ltd, private security personnel who DMRC plans to replace with Central Industrial Security Force

Who stays:
Mostly from the lower management and workers on stations. DMRC would give offer letters to them for a one-year contract by July-end