Metro Man: E.

Sreedharan, MD, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

Delhi Metro continues to attract visitors from far and wide. —
Photos by Rajiv Tyagi

The Delhi Metro, under the stewardship of E. Sreedharan, has

created a system that is a technological marvel as well as an
example of successful corporate culture. Besides other states
of India, many foreign countries too want to replicate the
experiment. Ramesh Ramachandran scans the metroscape.

The quest for excellence comes naturally to Elattuvalapil

Sreedharan. In school, he would vie with T.N. Seshan to come
first in class. Today, the 73-year-old managing director of Delhi
Metro Rail Corporation has set a scorching pace for his co-
workers to follow. That competitive streak in him has
motivated the 1,650-strong workforce to avoid delay or cost-
overrun and to transform the Delhi Metro into a technological
marvel.

Sample this. The Metro conducts over 250 to-and-fro trips per
day along the four-km underground stretch between the Delhi
University and Kashmere Gate stations. There is a train every
six minutes during peak hours from eight in the morning to
eight at night and a train every 10 minutes in lean hours – 6 to
8 am and 8 to 10 pm. The DMRC hopes to increase the
frequency of trains gradually.

Metro Man: E. Sreedharan, MD, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

Metro Man: E. Sreedharan, MD, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

The Kashmere Gate – Delhi University section, slated for

completion in June this year, was completed seven months
ahead of schedule and is expected to attract 20,000
commuters per day. The Metro is also operating trains
between Shahdara in East Delhi and Rithala in the West on an
elevated track. There are 18 stations on the 22.8-km stretch
between Shahdara and Rithala.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the underground

section on December 19. Appreciating the efforts of the DMRC,
he observed, "The time has come for all of us to think big and
think into the future. The 21st century will be the Century of
Asia and without doubt the Century of India but to hasten this
journey, we have to create the required social and economic
infrastructure."

And think big, Sreedharan certainly did. The phase I is

expected to generate substantial benefits. Not only would it
bring down the number of buses on the roads by 2,600, it
would increase the average speed of buses from 0.5 km per
hour to 14 km per hour. Two million man-hours per day would
be saved due to reduction in journey time. Fuel cost worth Rs 5
billion per year would also be saved.
"Over the next two years," Sreedharan has said, "the other
sections of Phase I would be thrown open for commuters. The
Kashmere Gate – Central Secretariat corridor would become
operational by June and the Barakhamba-Dwarka corridor in
December. The Barakhamba-Indraprastha corridor is
scheduled for completion in March 2006 by when 15 lakh
passengers would commute daily."

Executing a project of such a mammoth proportion did not

come without its share of challenges. A team had to be
chosen, contracts had to be signed and tenders placed,
deadlines had to be set and met, traffic needed to be
regulated and finances managed `85 and all this without
causing an iota of inconvenience to the forever-cribbing
Delhiite behind the wheels, who is perpetually in a hurry and
can do without road rage.

"We had an able and experienced team leader in Sreedharan.

He spelt out the mission statement and the corporate culture
clearly to one and all. The idea was to make Delhi Metro a
world class Metro, a vehicle to promote dignity and discipline
in the city," recalled the chief public relations officer of the
DMRC, Anuj Dayal. "Sreedharan’s personality also was a crucial
factor. He led by example."

Delhi Metro continues to attract visitors from far and wide.

Delhi Metro continues to attract visitors from far and wide. —
Photos by Rajiv Tyagi

The "corporate culture" accordingly lays out that integrity of

executives and staff should be beyond doubt; punctuality is
the key word; targets are most sacrosanct; organisation must
be lean but effective; corporation must project an image of
efficiency, transparency, courtesy and "we-mean-business"
attitude; and construction should not lead to ecological or
environmental degradation.

What contributed in no small measure to DMRC’s success was

the autonomy given to the managing director. "Sreedharan
took up this task on the condition that he should be allowed to
choose his own team. Furthermore, he came to enjoy a fair
degree of autonomy. Financial powers were vested in the
managing director. Also, the managing director was the last
authority on tenders," explained Dayal.
Another precondition was the minimum interference of the
government. The work culture was so designed as to reduce
dependence on subsidies. Soon the message went down the
line that there is nothing called a free lunch or freebies. The
organisation therefore was able to resist pressures from many
quarters. Even the Prime Minister bought a ticket for enjoying
a ride on the Metro.

What makes the DMRC a case study for students of

management is the insertion of a clause into the contract with
companies that they must have an Indian partner.
Consequently, the DMRC is procuring the trains from Bharat
Earth Movers Limited, Bangalore, and elevators are also being
produced indigenously. Another feature is the punctuality with
which the DMRC pays its contractors ("We call them
associates," says Dayal.)

The success of this venture would not have been possible

without divine intervention. Any other project of this
magnitude might have got bogged down in litigations, but not
so with the DMRC. Although there are about 400 cases pending
in various courts, no stay order has been given till date. That
meant the DMRC could go about executing its works without
worrying too much about cost escalation or project delay.

In the past six years, the DMRC has also redefined public
relations to a certain extent. It did not employ conventional
methods, though. Instead, it chose alternate ways to generate
goodwill for the organisation. Fortunately, it did not need to
look far. In ensuring minimum inconvenience to motorists and
pedestrians alike, the DMRC successfully converted a
challenge into an opportunity. That paid dividends too. All
utilities were diverted in advance to ensure that there was no
disruption of water, electricity, sewerage and telephone
connections during the construction of the area. Barricades
were put up. An alternate traffic plan was drawn up with the
help of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and in
collaboration with Delhi Police. Also, new roads were built or
the existing roads widened to accommodate traffic.

The DMRC organised community interaction programmes for

redressing problems that arose among the local people. Every
Monday, heads of department would meet and set new or
review targets. "We have also devised a reverse clock," says
Dayal. When The Tribune caught up with him, the clock
showed 128 days to go for completion of the underground
stretch of corridor between Kashmere Gate and Central
Secretariat.

For an organisation that has earned the distinction of being

efficient and has a Managing Director in Sreedharan, who is
the proud recipient of Padma Shri and was chosen the Asia
Man of the Year by Time magazine, the bottomline remains as
significant as ever. Although a little more than a year into
operation, the DMRC is recovering the operational cost and
ploughing back the surplus into repaying the loans. Not only
does Delhi Metro offer a more comfortable and safe travel for
the commuters, it would help reduce atmospheric pollution
levels by 50 per cent. Commending the DMRC for paying due
attention to environmental concerns, the Lieutenant-Governor
of Delhi, B.L. Joshi, recently said, "The construction had been
undertaken in an eco-friendly manner and 10 trees had been
planted for each one felled."

The DMRC has also secured ISO 14001 certification for

adhering to environment protection norms and the OSHSAS
18001 certification for meeting world standards in protecting
the health of workers and passengers alike. Another hallmark
of its operations has been labour standards. It employs 45
persons per kilometre of work. This ratio is one-third of that of
the organisations elsewhere in the country.

The Delhi Metro comes equipped with several unique features.

The ticketing system is fully automatic. Passengers have the
option of using contact-less smart cards and contact-less
tokens. Unlike the tokens, smart cards can be used for multiple
journeys. Parking facilities are available at Metro stations for
private vehicle owners who can park and ride on the Metro.
Special feeder buses are also provided. The world’s most
sophisticated and advanced safety measures have been
implemented in all Metro stations and trains. In the unlikely
event of an emergency, the system is geared to evacuate all
passengers within 5.5 minutes from elevated stations and four
minutes from underground stations. The control centre ensures
that if a train breaks down, other trains will automatically stop
at a safe distance away, to avert collision.

The Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, who has monitored

the progress of the project all along, is relieved. Not only did
the introduction of the Metro enable her to win an
unprecedented second term in office having caught, as it did,
the fancy of the voters, it has also given a modern look and
character to the city that otherwise lacked an efficient public
transport in keeping with its status as the country’s Capital.

She acknowledges that the Metro would reduce congestion on

roads and also bring down the level of pollution in the city. "We
have learnt a lot from the DMRC, its work ethics and decision-
making process," she observed. Incidentally, Delhi
Government appoints the managing director of the DMRC. The
Union Government, which is an equal partner in DMRC,
nominates the chairman.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro continues to attract visitors from

far and wide. They all have come, seen and concurred that it is
comparable with, if not better than, the best in the world. "The
Delhi Metro visit was a highlight of a captivating and enjoyable
India tour," wrote the assistant private secretary to His Royal
Highness The Prince of Wales, who was presented a
commemorative framed plaque and a book as a souvenir.

The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh and his wife,

Gursharan Kaur, turned nostalgic after their ride on the Metro.
"As a member of a faculty of Delhi University, I commuted by
public transport to work. At that time Delhi was not as big and
crowded... it was easier for me and my family to commute by
public transport," Singh said, recalling the days he used to
travel by bus to the Delhi University.

The trend set by the DMRC has found takers in several states
that want to replicate the Delhi Metro model. The DMRC has
already prepared detailed project reports for Bangalore and
Hyderabad. The governments of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and
Gujarat also have approached the DMRC with similar
proposals. The governments of Sri Lanka, Syria and Pakistan
also have shown interest in DMRC.

METROSPECTIVE
Options ahead

After inaugurating the first underground section of the Delhi

Metro last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh observed,
"Urban public transport is a national priority. Our government
proposes to launch a National Urban Renewal Mission and we
will ensure that public transport and public amenities for the
people, particularly the weaker sections, receive special
attention in this plan.
Pointing out that he was impressed by the quality of
infrastructure built by the DMRC, the Prime Minister had also
said that other cities should learn from the experience and
example of the DMRC. "We hope we can replicate this model
elsewhere," he had stated but a crucial question remains
unanswered: Is Metro the panacea for the burgeoning
metropolises faced with a nightmare that urban public
transport is? Opinions differ what with alternate modes of
transport engaging the attention of policy makers and
commoners alike. The options available range from sky bus,
electric trolley and high capacity bus system to rail and tram.
Ideally, a mass rapid transport system should be one that
makes use of the existing roads but does not take up road
space, integrates various modes of transport and is cheap,
reliable and safe.

Suburban railway may be Mumbai’s lifeline and the Metro

might have the potential to change the way Delhi moves but
certain policy makers insist that in order to strike the right
balance among various modes of transport, an extensive mass
rapid transport system is required, especially one that
integrates the Metro, rail, bus, etc to provide safe, eco-friendly,
cost-effective and efficient transportation.

The population of Delhi, for instance, is expected to grow (from

138 lakh in 2001) to 230 lakh by 2021. However, the daily
transport demand is expected to grow (from 139 lakh in 2001)
to 279 lakh passenger trips by 2021. To cater to this demand,
the mass transport system would need to be augmented
substantially and the road infrastructure, traffic management
and associated amenities improved substantively.

The Transport Policy of the Delhi Government acknowledges

that there are several factors responsible for the prevailing
road congestion, pollution and lack of road safety. "The basic
cause, however, is the imbalance in the modal mix of
passenger traffic carried by various modes of transport. There
is a preponderance of low-capacity vehicles such as two-
wheelers and cars," reads the policy document.

The policy focuses on increasing mass transport options by

providing adequate, accessible and affordable modes like
buses, mini-buses and electric trolley buses complemented by
a network of rail-based mass rapid transit systems like metro
and commuter rail. Para transit modes like autos and taxis as
also cycles and cycle rickshaws are envisaged to provide
feeder services in designated areas.

There are others who point out that lots of cities in Europe and
the US have already got much better public transport than
Delhi but that does not stop more and more people wanting to
use their own cars. They suggest that any transport plan
should not only improve the public transport but also
discourage private vehicles. Incidentally, Delhi has more
numbers of vehicles than all the other three metros put
together.

The debate continues... — R.R

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