The Engine That Pulled It Off

Talk to any member of his core team and they will say different things about their managing director, E Sreedharan. Some would describe him ...

Talk to any member of his core team and they will say different things about their managing director, E Sreedharan. Some would describe him as an 8216;8216;open and frank person who has no hang-ups about discussing a problem with a subordinate8217;8217;, others admire his ingenuity in getting around difficulties and finding a solution to every problem, a few even wonder how he combines strict discipline with flexibility. But at 70, Sreedharan towers above the rest of his team with his experience and proven track record.

Probably the best way Sreedharan can be described is by saying that he is a man who goes out to meet challenges and deadlines. He never stops dead in his tracks because an obstacle has suddenly come in his way. Twice in his career, he had mentally prepared himself to resign. When the Konkan Railway was being built, he had a tussle with then Union Railway Minister C K Jaffar Sharief. Even last year, when his idea that the narrow gauge Metro tracks should be adopted for Delhi was shot down, he was ready to quit. He did not because he was committed to the Delhi Metro. In fact, the government put out a Press release criticising his stand on narrow gauge tracks and reminded him in public that he had once preferred the broad gauge.

Sreedharan loves fighting odds. Besides the gauge width controversy, the Union Government also did not give him the best location to begin the Metro operation. When the three lines of Phase I was conceived, Sreedharan found out that his job was not only to lay the tracks but to make the project a success. It meant he would also have to ensure that the Metro would be used extensively by the commuters of Delhi. He had to fight for Line 3 8212; the Connaught Place-Dwarka corridor 8212; to be included in this phase because it was the most lucrative of the three lines, since Dwarka was not connected with too many bus-routes.

nbsp;	8230; and the ones who kept it on track	nbsp;

nbsp;	Satish Kumar Director Rolling Stocks 8216;Flexibility makes a difference. Decisions are take	nbsp;
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	C B K Rao Director Civil I8217;ve seen construction in Boston, Singapore, Hongkong. Delhi is ahead8217;
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	Rajan Kataria, Chief Engineer Design 8216;I see innovations made on paper becoming a reality8217;
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	Tripta Khurana, Chief Architect 8216;We were told the Metro had to appeal to urban
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	P Muniyam, Peon 8216;I8217;ve been there from the beginning. I too am excited about the inaugural run8217;

At his Asiad Village residence, Sreedharan gets to meet his fellow joggers in the evenings. He believes in keeping himself fit. Yoga and meditation are an integral part of his life. He does not subscribe to the idea of colleagues staying back late in office if they do not have urgent work.

He steadily climbed the ladder in the railway hierarchy till 1990, when he retired as Member, Engineering, of the Railway Board. But even before retirement, he had given his word to then Union Railway Minister George Fernandes that he would take up the challenge of constructing the Konkan Railway between Mangalore and Mumbai. He sacrificed a cushy retired life and since then he has been known not just as a railway engineer but as a 8216;8216;creator of infrastructure8217;8217;, a 8216;8216;nation-builder8217;8217;.

Here are some of his views on dealing with problems.

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On land acquisition: 8216;8216;Under the Delhi Metro project, we have also faced land acquisition bottlenecks. We have to go out of the way in giving certain facilities to the people concerned. We even assist them in transporting their household things to new locations, we give them advances for incurring expenses and we help them to get electricity and water. For all these things, we make our own arrangements so that people have no difficult in moving out to new areas. This sort of practical approach is necessary.8217;8217;

On handling contractors: 8216;8216;Any manager of a project must understand that his success depends on the success of the contractor. The contractors have to be made to succeed. They may have many problems. We cannot always talk within the rigid boundaries of a contract document. No. Without hesitation, I go beyond the contract agreement document.8217;8217;