Chennai Metro struggles with labour shortage amid Phase II construction

Chennai Metro Rail's Phase II project is grappling with a 40 per cent worker shortage, primarily due to many labourers leaving to vote in the Lok Sabha elections, hampering construction progress

Chennai Metro Rail is currently facing a significant challenge with nearly 40 per cent of its workforce absent from construction sites. This is related to its ongoing Phase II project, which is estimated to cost ~63,246 crore, according to a report by The Hindu.

Current construction status

The ambitious project aims to expand the metro network by 118.9 km across three main corridors — corridor 3 from Madhavaram to SIPCOT, corridor 4 from Light House to Poonamallee, and corridor 5 from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur.

  Over the past couple of years, the construction sites have relied heavily on workforce from states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh.

 

  The report quoted officials from Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) as saying that the worker shortage has become more pronounced since April 2024. This is when many workers returned to their home states to vote in the Lok Sabha elections.

  “We expected them to return by the end of May or early June. But many of them still have not returned to the project sites. We have pushed the contractors as much as possible to find new workers and bring them to the city. But they have done it only to some extent,” an official said.

Recruitment challenges

Initial attempts to address the labour shortfall included bringing in some workers via flight while others traveled by train to reach Chennai. Despite these efforts, the current workforce remains inadequate, with an official confirming the 40 per cent shortage, the report said.

  Officials have highlighted that worker shortage is particularly acute along the elevated sections of Corridor 5. The report quoted an official as saying that the immediate focus is on completing the Poonamallee-Porur segment of corridor 4 by next year. This segment is lacking sufficient manpower, making it increasingly difficult to meet completion deadlines.

Competition for labour

The labour market is competitive, as many workers who previously worked on the metro project are now finding job opportunities in metro and infrastructure projects in northern and central India. This allows them to travel conveniently between work and home. The convenience of these jobs is attracting workers away from our projects, an official said.

The Chennai Metro Rail project

Launched in 2007, the project is being executed by CMRL, a joint venture between the Government of India and the Tamil Nadu government.

  Phase I, completed in 2019, spans 45.1 km and includes two corridors with a mix of elevated and underground stations. Currently, Phase II is underway, which will extend the metro network by an additional 118.9 km through three new corridors.

  This expansion is crucial as Chennai's population is projected to reach 12.5 million by 2026, necessitating an efficient public transport system to meet the rising travel demands. The second phase is slated to be completed by 2026. It will significantly enhance connectivity between various parts of the city.