New Delhi, June 18: In the view of "poor progress", Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL), a Public Sector Undertaking, has decided to terminate the contract with Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of Signal and Communication Group Co. Ltd. Till now, only 20 percent of work has been completed in four years. The cost of the project was 471 crore. The Chinese company was given the contract to complete the signalling and telecommunication work of the 417-km long Kanpur-Deen Dayal Upadhyay section. The development came days after violent clashes between the armies of both the countries on June 15 in Ladakh's Galwan Valley.

The contract was awarded in June 2016. According to DFCCIL, the contract has been cancelled due to "poor progress". The PSU said that physical work could not progress as they the Chinese company have no tie-up with the local agencies and no progress was made despite of repeated meetings. Indian Army Statement on Violent Face-Off With China in Ladakh: 20 Indian Soldiers Killed, India And Chinese Troops Have Disengaged at Galwan Valley.

Tweet by ANI:

DFCCIL is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) corporation run by the government of India's Ministry of Railways. The main aim of the DFCCIL undertake planning, development, and mobilisation of financial resources and construction and maintenance of the Dedicated Freight Corridors. As part of the 11th Five Year Plan, the Indian Railways is constructing a new Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) in two long routes namely, the Eastern and Western freight corridors.

On the intervening night of June 15 and 16, violent clashes erupted between the Indian and Chinese troops after Indian Army’s patrol party went to PP 14 to ensure that whether the disputed area was vacated by the soldiers of the neighbouring country. People’s Liberation Army (PLA)  soldiers attacked Indian Army personnel with nail-stubbed rods, sluggers and stones. Twenty Indian Army soldiers were martyred. There are also reports that 45 troops of PLA were also died or severely injured in the clashes.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 18, 2020 03:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).