Written by- Prachi Mittal
Edited by- Ananya Julka
Do you remember the first time you
travelled in the Delhi Metro? I clearly remember the day. I was 14, and my parents
could not pick me up from school. So, I had to take the metro. It was a sunny, exhausting day and I had little expectations of public transport in India. But, I was awestruck the first time I arrived at the station. Taking a metro was so convenient! Since then, there has been no looking
back for me. I have regularly taken the metro for\travelling like
other 1.5 million people of the capital city.
DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation)
has now successfully completed 26 years in operation. It boasts of 285 stations
and a track length of 389 km. It is one of the largest growing metro networks
in the world.
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| Delhi Metro |
This marvellous feat and its phenomenal growth was made possible by vision and zeal of Dr. Elattuvalapil
Sreedharan , fondly known as the “metro man”.
He and his team worked
relentlessly, overcoming various obstacles to give Delhi its lifeline. Delhi
metro gave the city a new identity and revolutionised the way people travel.
Sreedharan is a civil engineer by profession. He was born on 12 June 1932 in Kerala. He completed his civil engineering from JNTUK, Andhra Pradesh. He had a short career as a lecturer, during which he also simultaneously prepared for civil services, clearing the exam in 1953. After this, he joined the Indian railways as a Probationary Assistant Engineer. His work was excellent with projects like the Pamban bridge
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| The Pamban Bridge connected Rameswaram to main Tamil Nadu and was repaired by Sreedharan in just 46 days |
The turning point in his career was the time of
his retirement when the central government announced, “We still
need your service”, after seeing his exemplary track record.
He then headed the Konkan railways in
1990, a 760 km long railway line. It was due to his determination, that the
project was completed on time and in budget. This opened India’s gateway to modern
transport. He was widely praised for his work and this project was
considered a big achievement in his day.
He was then appointed as the managing
director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Under his guidance, the
projects were always completed on time within the decided budget. The man was always very confident, innovative and energetic
in his workplace providing his colleagues with inspiration they needed to meet
the demands of their work.
He hired his team from the railways and brought a
few of his trusted colleagues from Konkan. He trained his staff in the
new technology, and had a minimal staff policy – only 40 people per kilometre.
Investment was a major roadblock.
There was limited money from the government, and he had to prove his mettle to
secure Japanese funding. His team finished the first Delhi metro line
connecting East Delhi and West Delhi in just 4 years. This boosted investments.
In an interview he said that his staff took only 20,000 rupees per month and he
earned only 30,000 rupees per month. But everyone worked with zeal for the invaluable experience and the opportunity to learn.
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| Sreedharan with then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2005 |
He was a hard task master and had
eagle eyes that rarely missed anything. He took care of every minuscule detail
and ensured high safety and sanity standards. He worked even while travelling,
and travelled by the metro frequently to understand the problems faced by
commuters.
He retained his core team from
private acquisitions and started a corporate culture to differentiate DMRC from
other government organisations. This corporate culture helped them with the much-needed
efficiency.
Under him, Delhi metro had only one mishap enabling
DMRC to gain the trust of their commuters. His skill of land acquisition is aspirational for any government. He headed DMRC till 2012 and worked
for development of other metro lines in India as well. DMRC still guides many metro
projects all over India and their core model is still replicated across the nation even after
years of technological progress.
For his contribution in transforming
lives of commuters, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Vibhushan in
2008. The French government bestowed him with the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur
in 2005 and TIME magazine named him as one of Asia’s heroes in 2003. He was
also appointed by the former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to serve on the
United Nations’ High Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport (HLAG-ST)
for a period of three years in 2015.
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| Sreedharan being awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2008 |
His vision changed the face of public transport in India and his legacy continues to be a beacon of hope in the dreary bureaucracy of the country struggling with decision making and efficiency till date. His role in the transport sector of India makes us realise the importance of technocrats in the system who are often overlooked in the country’s chaotic political landscape. Though apparently out of sight, he continues to advice policymakers even at the age of 88.
In his words,” As long as I have
reasonably good health, I should continue to serve society with the attitude
that it is an offering to God.”- (Source: India Today)
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