The ongoing tussle between Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Principal Adviser E. Sreedharan and the State Finance Department over the Light Metro project for Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode appears to have a lot to do with an Italian company that wants a stake in the two projects.
The Hindu has in its possession an Expression of Interest (EoI) letter written by Antonio Gnisci, general manager of Rome-based FG Technopolo Holding S.r.l., an international engineering and architecture consulting firm, which shows that discussions have taken place at the highest level of government on how it should proceed with the project.
Mr. Gnisci’s letter, addressed to Kerala Monorail Corporation Ltd (KMCL) managing director P.I. Sheik Pareeth, makes it clear that his company’s proposals for the method of implementation of the Light Metro project is based on the discussions at the meeting held at the Chief Minister’s Office. The DMRC has proposed implementation of the Rs.6,728-crore 35.12-km project on a turn-key basis while the Finance Department and the top brass of the KMCL are of the view that the two cities should have normal metro projects that should be implemented in PPP (public-private participation) hybrid mode. The Italian firm’s request is that it be appointed the General Design Consultant for the project in the two cities.
Official sources told The Hindu that the EoI from the Italian company, written in November, has so far not been placed before the KMCL director board headed by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. According to them, Minister for Public Works and KMCL vice chairman V.K. Ebrahim Kunju is also in the dark about it.
The PPP hybrid mode proposed by the Finance Department is identical to the implementation strategy suggested by the Italian firm in the name of bringing international experience.
