Delhi's 'Metro Man' says his experience in DMRC 'very satisfying'

New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) Set to retire on December 31, Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan sums up his 16-year experience as "very satisfying" and attributes the organisation's success to the "different work culture" and fast decision making process. 79-year-old Sreedharan, who has worked in government service for over 58 years in different organisations and capacities, says he wants to spend his post-retirement days in his village in Thrissur district of the southern Indian state of Kerala. In an interview with PTI, the technocrat spoke about his experiences in Delhi Metro, the hurdles he faced during the initial days and how the organisation was different from other government companies. Sreedharan, who joined Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in 1995, said there were no problems with regard to funds and clearances from government department but the main challenge during the construction of Metro was about the "complex technology" that was new to the country. "It was a very satisfying experience, quite satisfying experience. It is a new field as far as the country is concerned. It was new experience as we were planning for a world-class metro," he said. Delhi Metro, which started operations in 2002 on a 8-km stretch, now has 190 km network across India's National Capital Region and is the fastest growing Metro network anywhere in the world, he said. When asked how Delhi Metro was different from other government organisations, he said it was because of the different work culture that exists. "The environment that we created for people to work and the type of work culture that we have created here is the reason. That is entirely different from a normal government organisation. We take very fast decisions and everything is done in a very transparent way," he said. Sreedharan said the Delhi Metro is one of the few Government organisations which does not have a union because "we take care of our employees and their problems are sorted out immediately. On his post-retirement plans, the 'Metro Man' said he wants to go back to his village and spend his days there with his family. "I want to go back to my village and spend my days after 58 years of service. I joined my professional career in 1953," he said. About the challenges he faced during his tenure, he said building the network in a "very difficult environment" like the national capital was the main challenge because even a small mistake would come to the notice of the Delhi Chief Minister and others, especially media. On whether he had any problems in getting funds, he said: "Funds were not a problem because most of the funds were coming from Japan through JICA. Japan was committing for the loan right from the beginning. Funds were not a problem at all." He said the loans offered by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are best suited for Metro projects as they are offered with a pay-back period of 30 years. Asked whether Delhi Metro is profitable now after nine years of its existence, he said: "We are able to meet entirely our operating expenditure, maintenance expenditure and service in the loan we have taken and repayment of the loan instalment and we are also funding our future expansions. That way it is profitable and is quite viable I would say," Sreedharan said. Sreedharan also said that Metro can never be profitable that way because it is a social service. "It is a service you are rendering to the society at a very cheap rate. Our ticket rates are such that ordinary persons must be able to travel in a Metro. It should be affordable to him," he said. PTI