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Hans India
7 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Mohandas Pai, Former Infosys CFO, Criticizes Bengaluru Metro Delay, Calls for Accountability
Mohandas Pai, former Infosys CFO, criticized Bengaluru's Metro officials and Development Minister D K Shivakumar. He said the work culture is very bad and asked for the responsible official to be suspended. The Yellow Line of Namma Metro runs from RV Road to Bommasandra. It was supposed to open in mid-2024 but is now delayed until July or August. The delay is caused by problems with the train's signalling system. The Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) approval is still pendin Siemens India, the signalling system contractor, found errors in the software. Train operations depend fully on software. Even a small error causes the system to stop for safety reasons. BMRCL has finished other tests but needs ISA approval before starting operations. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar promised the Yellow Line would be ready by May 2025. However, many deadlines have been missed, causing public frustration. Minister @DKShivakumar what is happening? Is there no value in deadlines? Delay after delay! Is there any management at all. They are letting you down very badly again and gain. Pl Suspend the official responsible. Very bad lousy work culture. This could have been done long back.… — Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) May 27, 2025
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Mohandas Pai slams Bengaluru metro authorities over Yellow Line delays, calls work culture ‘lousy'
Former Infosys CFO and civic commentator Mohandas Pai has sharply criticised the Bengaluru Development Minister and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) over the latest setback in the launch of the Yellow Line of Namma Metro. Pai, known for his outspokenness on Bengaluru's urban infrastructure issues, took to X to express his frustration over what he called a 'very bad lousy work culture' and demanded accountability from those responsible for the repeated delays. Also Read - Truck driver killed in Mangaluru, authorities clamp down to curb communal tensions In a scathing post tagging Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Pai wrote: 'Minister @DKShivakumar, what is happening? Is there no value in deadlines? Delay after delay! Is there any management at all? They are letting you down very badly again and again. Please suspend the official responsible. Very bad lousy work culture. This could have been done long back.' Pai's outburst comes amid yet another delay in the launch of the 19.15-km Yellow Line corridor, which connects RV Road to Bommasandra. Initially expected to be operational by mid-2024, the project is now facing a likely pushback to late July or August, according to a Deccan Herald report. Also Read - Kamal Haasan's 'Kannada was born out of Tamil' comment sparks huge political outrage ahead of film release The latest hurdle stems from critical issues with the train signalling system. BMRCL officials confirmed that Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) approvals are still pending due to glitches detected in software datasets during the review by Siemens India Ltd, the contractor responsible for the signalling system. 'Train operations rely entirely on software. Even a small error triggers the system's fail-safe mode,' a senior BMRCL official explained. Though BMRCL has reportedly completed all other statutory tests, the ISA certification remains a key requirement before the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) can give the final clearance for operations. This fresh delay is particularly embarrassing given Deputy CM D K Shivakumar's public assurance that the Yellow Line would be operational by May 2025. However, with a history of missed deadlines, the project is once again in the spotlight — and under intense public scrutiny.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
RITES eyes revenue growth through export focus, quality assurance & business diversification: CMD
RITES Ltd , a Navratna public sector undertaking and a leading transport and engineering consultancy company, is banking on increased export orders and diversification of its Quality Assurance (QA) business to drive revenue growth in the coming years, according to its Chairman and Managing Director, Rahul Mithal. In a statement to PTI, Mithal said, 'Proactive efforts to secure export orders for rolling stock and diversify the client base have helped improve our revenue outlook for the coming years.' The remarks come in the backdrop of the company reporting a 4.3 per cent year-on-year decline in consolidated operating revenue for the March quarter of FY25 to Rs 615 crore, compared to Rs 643 crore in the same quarter last year. Despite the drop in revenue, net profit rose by 3.4 per cent year-on-year to Rs 141 crore during the quarter. Mithal attributed the decline in rolling stock exports to a lack of new orders from traditional markets in Africa and South Asia during and after the pandemic. In addition, the QA segment saw a dip in volume and margins after Indian Railways , for the first time, engaged four entities—including TuV India Pvt. Ltd, Bureau Veritas India Pvt. Ltd, and Intertek India Pvt. Ltd—for QA services through an open tendering process. However, the outlook for exports has started to improve. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like They Lost Their Money - Learn From Their Lesson Expertinspector Click Here Undo 'The export outlook improved after nearly three years when we secured an export order from Mozambique for the supply of 10 locomotives – the first such order won through global competitive bidding – driven by sustained and focused outreach to prospective countries,' he said. Mithal noted that RITES has since managed to secure one export order in each quarter of FY25. As of March 31, 2025, the company's export order book stands at Rs 1,360 crore. He explained that export orders typically take 15–24 months to convert into revenue, meaning the financial impact will be more visible from FY26 onwards. Key export orders currently include: A Rs 900 crore order from Bangladesh for 200 passenger coaches A Rs 300 crore order from Mozambique for 10 locomotives Approximately Rs 150 crore worth of orders from South Africa for three separate contracts, each involving three locomotives In response to the evolving QA landscape, RITES has significantly reoriented its strategy by expanding its QA services beyond traditional railway projects. Mithal said the company has diversified into sectors such as renewables (solar), the PM Vishwakarma Yojana, power transmission and distribution, the Jal Jeevan Mission, Public Health Engineering Departments, vendor assessment through GeM, Independent Safety Assessment, and international assignments. "From the outset of FY25, we emphasised the execution of domestic consultancy projects, especially the high-margin consultancy projects, which helped us in limiting the dip in operating revenue and profits YoY," Mithal noted. He further highlighted the company's strong order book, stating, 'By way of aggressive outreach, we also consolidated our order book by maintaining the trend of 'one order a day company', securing more than 500 orders worth Rs 5,500 crore in the year and ending the year with an all-time high order book of Rs 8,877 crore.' Looking ahead, Mithal said RITES is well-positioned for growth. 'This twin-pronged focused business strategy of improved execution and aggressive order inflows has given us the platform to aim for an all-time high revenue in FY26. We will also continue to maintain our strike rate of 1 order a day and get further export orders,' he said. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Focus on exports, diversification of Quality Assurance business to drive revenue growth: RITES CMD
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Proactive efforts to secure export orders for rolling stock and diversify the client base have helped improve our revenue outlook for the coming years, RITES Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Rahul Mithal said. A Navratna public sector undertaking and leading transport and engineering consultancy company, RITES this week reported a 4.3 per cent decline in its consolidated operating revenue in the March quarter to Rs 615 crore compared to Rs 643 crore in the year-ago quarter. Net profit rose by 3.4 per cent year-on-year to Rs 141 crore in the told PTI that the company's rolling stock export business was impacted due to a lack of fresh orders from many of its erstwhile African and South Asian clients during the pandemic and post-pandemic added that the Quality Assurance segment also faced challenges as Indian Railways fixed four entities, for the first time, for the Quality Assurance work through an open tendering process, impacting both the volume and margins according to him, the export outlook improved after nearly three years when we secured an export order from Mozambique for the supply of 10 locomotives - the first such order won through global competitive bidding -- driven by sustained and focused outreach to prospective countries."The aggressive outreach has also helped us in securing one export order in each quarter during FY25. As on March 31, 2025, RITES' export order book stands at Rs 1,360 crore. As an export order takes at least 15-24 months to materialise (from receipt of the order to conversion in revenue), you will see the impact on revenue from FY26," Mithal major export orders as of March 31, 2025, with RITES are Bangladesh order for 200 passenger coaches at Rs 900 crore, Mozambique's order for 10 locomotives at Rs 300 crore and South Africa's orders (three orders each for 3 locomotives) at approx. Rs 150 far as QA business is concerned, according to Mithal, the company brought in a significant change in its approach to address the challenge arising from a policy shift involving the inclusion of three additional players for the QA services of Railways -- TuV India Pvt. Ltd, Bureau Veritas India Pvt. Ltd. and Intertek India Pvt. stated that RITES started diversifying its QA client base into new areas such as renewables (solar), PM Vishwakarma Yojana, power transmission & distribution, states' Jal Jeevan Mission & Public Health Engineering Departments, vendor assessment (GeM), Independent Safety Assessment and international business among others, thus having a big chunk of multi-sectoral business."From the outset of FY25, we emphasised the execution of domestic consultancy projects, especially the high-margin consultancy projects, which helped us in limiting the dip in operating revenue and profits YoY," Mithal said."Further by way of aggressive outreach, we also consolidated our order book by maintaining the trend of 'one order a day company', securing more than 500 orders worth Rs 5,500 crore in the year and ending the year with an all-time high order book of Rs 8,877 crore," he the way forward for the coming year, Mithal said, "This twin-pronged focused business strategy of improved execution and aggressive order inflows has given us the platform to aim for an all-time high revenue in FY26. We will also continue to maintain our strike rate of 1 order a day and get further export orders."
