Huge infrastructure projects such as the metro rail need to be completed on time and as per schedule since the costs increase each day, said former Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chief Dr. E. Sreedharan on Friday. Drawing on his experience from the Delhi Metro construction, he said the increase in the cost of the first phase would have been Rs. 1.5 crore per day and for the second phase it would have been 2.5 crore per day.
Constant reminder
Therefore, “We had to constantly remind ourselves about this to complete the project in time,” he said amid applause at the National Police Academy (NPA) here. He was delivering the 27 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Memorial Lecture. Addressing IPS officers and cadets, Dr. Sreedharan said that they can learn from the success story of the DMR. “The Delhi Metro rail project was successful mainly because of the unique work culture that we followed there. Aspects like punctuality, integrity, professional competence and social responsibility are very important for any success story, be it a project or a career,” he pointed out. With anecdotes, he advised the cadets on ways to improve their personal lives as well as their careers. Ultimately, the role of the police should be more like a protective service rather than a regulatory one, he said.
Viability of PPP
Dr. Sreedharan, while fielding questions, stuck to his stance that the Public, Private Partnership (PPP) mode may not be financially viable for metro projects but the Konkan Railway project was a success only when the government converted its own stake into equity.
About the choice between an underground metro and an elevated one, he said that the underground rail costs three times more than the elevated one and takes a significantly longer time to complete.
The underground metro models also incur about 50 per cent extra costs by way of provisions for ventilation and air-conditioning, he added.
