Opinion No post for Bangalore’s Metro Man
In normal course the transfer of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited chief N Sivasailam on August 10 would not have raised an eyebrow.
In normal course the transfer of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited chief N Sivasailam on August 10 would not have raised an eyebrow. He ran a tight ship without too many problems for a full term of five years. And he was replaced by an IAS officer considered among the best in terms of efficiency in Karnataka at present.
The funny thing about the transfer of Sivasailam,who has come closest to being compared to Delhis Metro Man E Sreedharan,on account of his no nonsense approach to running the BMRCL,is however the failure of the Congress government to give him an immediate posting despite the service he rendered in making the BMRCL a rarity a well managed public project.
Leaving Sivasailam without a posting after his transfer out of the BMRCL smacked of harsh treatment of an efficient officer especially in the light of the episode involving IAS officer Durga Shakti and the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh still hanging in the air.
Insiders in the government say that Sivasailam was offered a posting soon after his transfer but found it not to his liking and conveyed a message to the principal secretary to the chief minister that he was willing to wait for a posting befitting his credentials and interest.
There is no denying the fact that the maverick Sivasailam,described by some IAS officers as a tsunami,was not very popular outside of the BMRCL on account of his unwillingness to debate what he deemed inconsequential including the concerns of the public and elected representatives.
There have also been deaths of workers,cost over runs on account of delays in completing some portions all common to large infrastructure projects and all adding up as negatives but not significant enough for cold shouldering the BMRCL chief,who in the overall context was making good progress.
In the public services delivery system having a person with a capacity to say no to elected representatives when it is warranted is a rarity and Sivasailam fell in that category while delivering the BMRCL project over the last five years.
It was a no nonsense attitude that helped Sivasailam provide tight project management for the BMRCL pushing vendors and service providers to keep to strict deadlines. It is the same no nonsense attitude that seems to have lead to Sivasailams downfall at the BMRCL and left a feeling that he is being punished.
Johnson is a senior assistant editor based in Bangalore
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