DMRC not keen on projects in Kerala

E. Sreedharan said the DMRC was overstretched as other States wanted it for executing the metro projects.

E. Sreedharan (C), Principal Adviser, DMRC, with ThiruvananthapuramDevelopment Authority Chairman P.K. Venugopal at a seminar on the LightMetro project in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. Photo: S. Mahinsha

Hinting that it is not keen on taking up the Light Metro proposed for Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode in view of the inordinate delay by the government in clearing the detailed project report (DPR), the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has said it is not interested in projects in the State.

“Based on the experience in Kerala, the DMRC is not at all keen on the projects. We came because of the pressure from the Chief Minister and he was keen to bring us,” E. Sreedharan, Principal Adviser, DMRC, said on Friday. He was replying to queries at the end of a seminar on Light Metro organised by the Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority here.

Mr. Sreedharan said the DMRC was overstretched as other States wanted it for executing the metro projects. It could complete the mass rapid transit system (MRTS) within the timeframe, in a transparent way avoiding middlemen, at a cost below the estimate, and with good workmanship.

“Anyone can take the projects. As a person hailing from the State, I have a commitment to Kerala,” Mr. Sreedharan said, replying CPI(M) legislator V. Sivankutty’s criticism about depending on the DMRC and Mr. Sreedharan alone for the MRTS.

A service

He said the DMRC was interested in the development of Kerala. For the DMRC, it was service and not a business as it was for other firms. The green cess and the joint venture company mooted were aimed at creating investor confidence and securing funds from abroad and from the Union government. “The scrapped monorail was not our project. The cost went up as it was projected as a State project,” he said.

Consultancy charges

On the consultancy charges of 6 per cent levied by the DMRC, Mr. Sreedharan said the charges were not at all high as the Public Works Department charged 9 per cent and Railways 12 per cent.

Mr. Sreedharan, who recently informed the State that the offices of the DMRC in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode would be closed down in view of the delay in clearing the DPR, said persuading the DMRC to take up the Light Metro would be difficult. “The government has to take the call now,” he added.