DMRC is with me: Sreedharan

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Amid speculation that the Delhi Metro Rail Corpora-tion (DMRC) was backing out of the Kochi metro project, metroman E. Sreedharan on Monday scotched such reports saying that the Delhi-based agency was very much with him.

“The DMRC has taken quite a favourable stand, but I don’t know about the stance of the urban development ministry,” he told reporters when asked whether he had faced problems from the DMRC and the urban development ministry in carrying the project forward.

Though it was expected that the main work of the Kochi project would be handed over to the DMRC after the reconstitution of the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, the CVC issues and an additional clause (of needing prior sanction if it has to take up work outside Delhi), lately introduced by the DMRC, weakened the chances of the main work being handed over to the DMRC as envisaged by the state.
Currently, the DMRC is engaged in preliminary works that were given to it by the state government and there is no question of backing out.

On the main work though, Mr Sreedharan said he has high hopes on the upcoming meet on the issue, to be held in Delhi. He also refused to comment when asked whether he would be willing to head the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd in future.

However, he made it clear that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had been assigned charge of the proposed monorail projects in Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.

Earlier, Sreedharan inspected the North RoB site and another one in Palarivattom.

He said though vehicles would be “partially allowed” to run through the new side bays constructed, a formal inauguration would be delayed and decisions on this would be taken later.