Conspiracy to oust the ‘metro man’
1 Nov 2012 10:04 PM GMT
The prestigious Kochi Metro project has run into the red signal because of a well-planned conspiracy to exclude ‘Metro man’ E Sreedharan and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) from its execution.
The Congress-led United Front (UDF) government has, of course, been vehemently denying any such conspiracy. But the Oommen Chandy government’s subsequent deeds have not matched its oft-proclaimed public enthusiasm for the dream project, which will benefit not only Kochi but the entire state.
A closer look at the developments which have forced the project to await the green signal is in order. Although it is true that the UDF government has favoured Sreedharan for the project, it has not taken even the basic steps required to get the DMRC and Sreedharan on board. Incidentally, the Kerala Cabinet twice decided to entrust the project to DMRC and Sreedharan, but it had not formally conveyed this decision to the DMRC till the other day! It was only very recently that the concerned minister Aryadan Mohammed wrote to the DMRC formally requesting it to take up and execute the Kochi metro project! The inordinate delay on the government’s part has, understandably strengthened the suspicions that the government is part of the conspiracy hatched to exclude Sreedharan and hand over the project to private companies. The Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) and leader of the Opposition V S Achuthanandan in particular has alleged that the oust-Sreedharan plot is on so that there is unhindered access to the Rs 600 crore commission which the Rs 6000-crore project commands! With Sreedharan, a technocrat with a spotless reputation, at the helm, there would be no scope for corruption. Hence the chorus against him, V S and other opposition leaders point out.
Again, if the government was keen on Sreedharan and DMRC executing the project, what was the need for the then MD of Kochi Metro Rail Limited Tom Jose to negotiate with a Singapore firm, the Singapore Technologies, a blacklisted company which is under a cloud, for the project? As if this was not enough, chief secretary, K Jayakumar negotiated with a Malaysian company to seek its services for the Kochi metro implementation. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy says he is not aware of these talks! As per the rules, no chief secretary can negotiate with the foreign firms without the written permission of the chief minister. No wonder, the CM and the concerned minister have not been able to offer convincing explanations for these happenings.
Some government servants, both at the state and the central levels, backed by a section of Kerala ministers and some central ministers, has been active against Sreedharan is clear from another development. Tom Jose wrote a letter to the DMRC chairman Sudhir Krishna questioning Sreedharan’s authority to take decisions on behalf of the DMRC. What makes it shocking is that Jose wrote the letter in his capacity as the PWD principal secretary, after he stepped down as the KMRL MD! This despite the fact that the DMRC MD, Mangu Singh had fully authorised Sreedharan in March 2012 to take decisions on Kochi metro on behalf of the DMRC.
The plot thickened thereafter. And, in October, an emergency meeting of the DMRC was convened to take an important decision: that prior permission of the DMRC board of directors should be taken before taking up projects outside Delhi! The decision rendered infructuous Mangu Singh’s letter of authorisation to Sreedharan. The subsequent board meeting of the KMRL chaired by Sudhir Krishna, who is also the KMRL chairman, failed to pass a resolution seeking the DMRC’s help in implementing the Kochi metro project! To save its face over the acute embarrassment, the UDF government has sought an explanation from Tom Jose asking him to explain the circumstances under which he wrote to Krishna, who also happens to be the secretary of the ministry of urban development.
Last but not the least, why did the Kerala government include the Kochi metro project in the list of business projects meant for discussions at the ‘Emerging Kerala’ investors conference held in Kochi sometime back if it had already decided to entrust the project to the public sector DMRC? Incidentally, representatives of the Singapore Technologies and the Malaysian firm were present at the conference. An embarrassed chief minister now intends to meet DMRC chairman and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit to clear the controversy over the project. It may be mentioned the Delhi government representatives are in majority on the DMRC board of directors.
The move is to exert political pressure on the DMRC through the Delhi CM. On her part, Dixit has said she has no objection to DMRC taking up projects outside Delhi.
But the spectre of uncertainty over the Kochi metro still looms large as the next meeting of the DMRC board is slated only at the end of November. And there is no guarantee that the DMRC would take up the Kochi project. Each day’s delay means a loss of over Rs 40 lakh.
Will the Kerala CM be able to untie the Kochi knot by exerting political pressure through Sheila Dixit and Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath? If he fails, the uncertainty over Kerala’s dream project will continue to the dismay of the people of Kerala. [IPA]
The Congress-led United Front (UDF) government has, of course, been vehemently denying any such conspiracy. But the Oommen Chandy government’s subsequent deeds have not matched its oft-proclaimed public enthusiasm for the dream project, which will benefit not only Kochi but the entire state.
A closer look at the developments which have forced the project to await the green signal is in order. Although it is true that the UDF government has favoured Sreedharan for the project, it has not taken even the basic steps required to get the DMRC and Sreedharan on board. Incidentally, the Kerala Cabinet twice decided to entrust the project to DMRC and Sreedharan, but it had not formally conveyed this decision to the DMRC till the other day! It was only very recently that the concerned minister Aryadan Mohammed wrote to the DMRC formally requesting it to take up and execute the Kochi metro project! The inordinate delay on the government’s part has, understandably strengthened the suspicions that the government is part of the conspiracy hatched to exclude Sreedharan and hand over the project to private companies. The Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) and leader of the Opposition V S Achuthanandan in particular has alleged that the oust-Sreedharan plot is on so that there is unhindered access to the Rs 600 crore commission which the Rs 6000-crore project commands! With Sreedharan, a technocrat with a spotless reputation, at the helm, there would be no scope for corruption. Hence the chorus against him, V S and other opposition leaders point out.
Again, if the government was keen on Sreedharan and DMRC executing the project, what was the need for the then MD of Kochi Metro Rail Limited Tom Jose to negotiate with a Singapore firm, the Singapore Technologies, a blacklisted company which is under a cloud, for the project? As if this was not enough, chief secretary, K Jayakumar negotiated with a Malaysian company to seek its services for the Kochi metro implementation. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy says he is not aware of these talks! As per the rules, no chief secretary can negotiate with the foreign firms without the written permission of the chief minister. No wonder, the CM and the concerned minister have not been able to offer convincing explanations for these happenings.
Some government servants, both at the state and the central levels, backed by a section of Kerala ministers and some central ministers, has been active against Sreedharan is clear from another development. Tom Jose wrote a letter to the DMRC chairman Sudhir Krishna questioning Sreedharan’s authority to take decisions on behalf of the DMRC. What makes it shocking is that Jose wrote the letter in his capacity as the PWD principal secretary, after he stepped down as the KMRL MD! This despite the fact that the DMRC MD, Mangu Singh had fully authorised Sreedharan in March 2012 to take decisions on Kochi metro on behalf of the DMRC.
The plot thickened thereafter. And, in October, an emergency meeting of the DMRC was convened to take an important decision: that prior permission of the DMRC board of directors should be taken before taking up projects outside Delhi! The decision rendered infructuous Mangu Singh’s letter of authorisation to Sreedharan. The subsequent board meeting of the KMRL chaired by Sudhir Krishna, who is also the KMRL chairman, failed to pass a resolution seeking the DMRC’s help in implementing the Kochi metro project! To save its face over the acute embarrassment, the UDF government has sought an explanation from Tom Jose asking him to explain the circumstances under which he wrote to Krishna, who also happens to be the secretary of the ministry of urban development.
Last but not the least, why did the Kerala government include the Kochi metro project in the list of business projects meant for discussions at the ‘Emerging Kerala’ investors conference held in Kochi sometime back if it had already decided to entrust the project to the public sector DMRC? Incidentally, representatives of the Singapore Technologies and the Malaysian firm were present at the conference. An embarrassed chief minister now intends to meet DMRC chairman and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit to clear the controversy over the project. It may be mentioned the Delhi government representatives are in majority on the DMRC board of directors.
The move is to exert political pressure on the DMRC through the Delhi CM. On her part, Dixit has said she has no objection to DMRC taking up projects outside Delhi.
But the spectre of uncertainty over the Kochi metro still looms large as the next meeting of the DMRC board is slated only at the end of November. And there is no guarantee that the DMRC would take up the Kochi project. Each day’s delay means a loss of over Rs 40 lakh.
Will the Kerala CM be able to untie the Kochi knot by exerting political pressure through Sheila Dixit and Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath? If he fails, the uncertainty over Kerala’s dream project will continue to the dismay of the people of Kerala. [IPA]
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