New Delhi, July 28 - Delhi Metro Tuesday cracked down on two design consultant companies, few engineers and a US expert for not doing their job properly leading to the collapse of an under construction elevated section that killed six people. But the deadline to complete all works before the Commonwealth Games next year will be met.

'Let me tell, there is no hurry at all. We will finish the works before deadline,' Delhi Metro chief E. Sreedharan told reporters.

'I had told earlier too, that the mishap in Zamrudpur will delay the work in that line by three months but it will have no impact on the overall completion of phase two (before the Commonwealth Games).

'Kolkata Metro took 22 years to complete, phase one of Delhi Metro took seven years and phase two will take less time,' he said adding that earlier Delhi Metro had some 350 engineers and now they have '750 project engineers to oversee work'. There are more contractors too.

He said the time given to every contractor to finish work is 'comfortable'.

While assuring authorities and the public, about the timely completion of work, DMRC Tuesday blacklisted the design consultant, Arch Consultancy Services for five years and the structural consultant, Tandon Consultants, which did not give 'correct advice' to DMRC for two years.

'The cracks were noticed on April 1 after which Tandon Consultants was deployed to oversee and advise rightly. It advised that the occurrence of cracks on Pier-67 could not be attributed to inadequacy of design and detailing. This misled us. The consultant was debarred for two years from working with DMRC or any of its contractors,' Sreedharan said.

DMRC deputy chief engineer (design) V.P. Srivastava and deputy Chief Engineer in-charge of site supervision Mukesh Thakur have been placed under suspension. Also, its chief engineer (Design) Rajan Kataria has been issued with a major penalty charge sheet.

Beside punishing its own officials, DMRC also took action against C. Mallonga, an expert from the US (working with General Consultants) who had direct responsibility for ensuring quality of works. 'He was immediately demobilised.'

Talking about the main contractor Gammon India, Sreedharan said: 'We will send them a show cause notice asking why they should not be blacklisted for two years. The notice will be vetted through legal officers.