India, Feb. 28 -- French engineering and consulting firm Systra's Indian arm Systra India has refuted charges of deficiency during the construction of Mumbai Metro projects executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and has expressed its interest in resuming work on these.

A contractual dispute turned into a diplomatic one when Systra India approached the French embassy seeking assistance to deal with the "severe harassment" it allegedly faced from MMRDA officials, including a demand for undue favours through "monetary benefits". These allegations led to embarrassment not only for MMRDA but also for the Maharashtra government, which has ordered an inquiry. Systra India has also moved the Bombay high court to...