With a population of around 11 million people and 3 million vehicles, Delhi is perhaps the only city of its size in the world which depends almost entirely on buses for public transport. The result: traffic jams, increasing accident rates and pollution.All this will, however, change by the year 2005 when the first phase of the metro rail becomes operational, says E. Sreedharan, managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).Sreedharan, who was selected to the Indian Railway Service of Engineers in 1954, was in charge of the planning and design of the Calcutta metro. Recipient of several awards, he was given charge of the Konkan Railway project after his retirement in 1990. After the completion of this project, Sreedharan joined DMRC as its managing director in 1997.The DMRC will lay a 198.5 km railway track linking the entire city by 2024. Work has already begun on the first phase of the project, which covers a 55.3 km track linking Shahadara to Tis Hazari. This will become operational by March 2005, vows Sreedharan.In an interview with Sonal Manchanda, he talks about the Delhi metro and how it will change the city.n Will the first phase of the Delhi metro be completed by March 2005 or will it be delayed like all other government projects?We are confident that it will be completed on time. We have set this target ourselves. The government had given us 10 years, but we compressed it to seven years and we intend to fulfill our commitment. People have grave doubts about the metro after the Calcutta experience, which cost 18 times more than what was envisaged and took 20 years to build. We want to alleviate their fears and set an example for all cities to emulate.And our approach is reflected in our work environment. The DMRC has a completely different work ethos. There are no peons and barring a few clerks for departments that require filing of records everything is computerised. We have a staff of 60-70 people and everyone does their work themselves. Everyone's entry and exit is recorded by computers and there are no exceptions, even for me.Even though work has started on the Shahadara-Tis Hazari section, the government is yet to acquire land there. Isn't this going to delay the project?Yes, the change in government has delayed the process of land acquisition because this is the responsibility of the government. However, this does not mean any delay in our work because we do not need that land for another six- seven months. We have had a meeting with chief minister Sheila Dikshit and she has assured us that the matter will be expedited as soon as possible. Sixty five per cent of the land belongs to the government and that is the section we are working on at present.Q: There are apprehensions that the project will damage several monuments located en route.A: We are using special impact absorption material for the entire metro. Extensive tests have been done by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) by measuring existing vibrations and the additional vibrations which will be created by the metro trains. These trains are very light and will create very little noise and vibration. The NPL has certified that there will be no damage. In Old Delhi, we will test the strength of the buildings before we start work. If required, we will strengthen the foundations or evacuate people for a few months before rehabilitating them.Q: The ring railway has failed because the government did not integrate it with the road transport system. Are you making any special arrangements for the metro?A: Not only the ring railway but also the Calcutta metro gets less than one-fifth of the passengers that can be carried because of the same problem. There is an integration plan for every station. We will get feeder buses to come to the stations at regular intervals. There will also be adequate parking place for cars, cycles and even buses.Q: Another problem with such projects is funding, especially because of the cost escalation. How are you going to deal with this?A: We have no problems about funding. For the first time in India, we have calculated the project cost on the basis of the prices of 2005, when the project is to be completed. So instead of keeping the cost at Rs 4,860 crore, we have calculated it at Rs 8,000 crore.The Delhi and Central governments will give an equity contribution of 15 per cent each. They are both giving us money more or less on time. Six per cent of the cost will be raised by us through property development in the next eight years. We will build office blocks, parking lots and other commercial centres at the stations. The balance 56 per cent is in the form of a soft loan from OECF (Japan) at an interest rate of 2.3 per cent. We will pay them back between 10-30 years of operations.Q: For the Konkan Railway project, which you were heading, you floated bonds. Are you planning something like this for the Delhi metro as well?A: We had to float bonds for the Konkan Railway because we did not have the money, which also delayed the project. However, there is no such problem here. In fact, most projects are delayed because of lack of funds or mismanagement. We have learnt several lessons from the Konkan project and I do not envisage any such problems for the Delhi metro.Q: Will the special trains be indigenously designed and built?A: No, we do not have the technology or the equipment to do so right now. Instead of one engine, there will be pairs consisting of one motorised coach and one trailor. These will be made of stainless steel with automatic doors. We will invite global tenders and the first 10-12 per cent of the coaches will be imported. Later, these will be built in our country also. We are, however, making sure that the foreign agency which will be given the contract has an Indian partner so that there is transfer of technology.Q: Will the metro eventually link the satellite towns?A: No, but the government is thinking about upgrading the existing train network for the suburbs so that it can complement the metro.Q: How will the tickets be priced?A: As per the project report, we have kept the price at Rs 5 for an average 7.5 km stretch. We feel that by 2005, it will be around Rs 8-10 for the same distance.Q: The entire project will be completed by 2024. What do you think Delhi will be like by then?A: After the completion of the first phase itself, pollution levels in the city will come down by 50 per cent. The road traffic will also come down dramatically. Consequently, the average travelling time will go down. By the time the second phase is completed, even the technology for road vehicles will be upgraded and Delhi will become a healthier place to live in.
