‘KMRL can do it single-handedly’

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The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) is capable of implementing the project single-handedly, said outgoing KMRL managing director Tom Jose, adding that he had ‘professional’ differences of opinion with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) over certain accounting and payment procedures.
The cabinet had, on Tuesday, replaced him with the power secretary Elias George as MD.

Jose made it clear that there had to be collaboration and co-operation for the mega project and “professionalism does not mean following the opinion of any individual, group or organisation blindly.”

He said this in an indirect reference to Metro Man E Sreedharan and DMRC. Metros in Chennai and Bengaluru were being implemented without DMRC involvement, he said.

On his exit, he said some of the positions he took were “not palatable to a few ... I was fully aware of the inherent risks in advocating such positions ... I move on with no regrets at all.”

On the delay in the signing of the MoU with DMRC for the works, he said it would happen soon. He had worked for the central clearance for the project, and it came in quick time, he said, adding that the he had helped in redesigning of the station models and linking water transport with the project.

However, DMRC officials clarified they were following a fool-proof auditing system and the actual cost till now was only Rs 66.66 lakh.

“Land acquisition is still a major problem and our aim is to complete the project on schedule,” an official said.