Click to play videoThe Delhi Metro is the fastest infrastructure development in the world. One-man builder who is also a visionary and is making all this possible is CNN-IBN Indian of the Year, E Sreedharan. National Affairs Editor, Diptosh Majumdar discovers more about the Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
E Sreedharan: All the people here draw government salaries. The middle level engineer or deputy chief engineer for that matter takes home about Rs 20,000 a month.
Diptosh Majumdar: And how much do you take home?
E Sreedharan: After deducting all the taxes, I hardly take away about Rs 30,000.
Diptosh Majumdar: The Metro employees know about other long-term benefits about working with an institution.
E Sreedharan: The private field cannot have this sort of training and expertise so they start poaching on our strength. Attrition is taking place and we try to anticipate on this attrition, recruit more people, train them and keep them as results available so that we don’t suffer.
Diptosh Majumdar: Is there one important perk that you can guarantee?
E Sreedharan: I personally feel that the employees get job satisfaction here. They get new exposure, see technology and get an opportunity to work with new things, and that makes the market value so high.
Once they work here for two-three years, they can go out and command a salary 20 times that they get here.
Diptosh Majumdar: What plans do you have for the other Metros?
E Sreedharan: After the Metro gets completed the bus system has to get remodeled.
Diptosh Majumdar: But what about Bangalore?
E Sreedharan: It applies the same for all the cities.
Diptosh Majumdar: When did you conceive of such a clock that will remind the employees that the project has to be on schedule?
E Sreedharan: The then CMD, one Mr Khanna had started a project so when I got the opportunity to handle the project, the first thing that I did was meet Mr Khanna and find out how he managed to complete the project on time.
One of the tips he gave me was the clock and this clock keeps everybody on their toes.
Diptosh Majumdar: Are you a hard task master at work?
E Sreedharan: You have to make it perfect otherwise it will derail.
Diptosh Majumdar: What kind of people travel in the Metro?
E Sreedharan: All kinds of people including the rich and the poor travel in the Metro.
Diptosh Majumdar: So gradually class-mixing will happen as it happens in other big cities of the world.
E Sreedharan: It definitely will happen and rich people will travel in the metros after about 10 years and they will find that there is no place to park their cars.
Management techniques
Diptosh Majumdar: The CISF people keep a good security over the Metro.
E Sreedharan: They are particularly trained for a system like the Metro and we give them special training for the same. They are deputed for the safety of the Metro.
Diptosh Majumdar: But the terror alerts must be coming from the government, the ministry and accordingly you take action.
E Sreedharan: We get entrance reports and based on that we immediately take action. We normally call it a red alert.
Diptosh Majumdar: You understand business and very few technocrats have a good sense of money as you have.
E Sreedharan: Our criteria is that we have a staff of less than 40 people per root kilometre that is our maximum.
Diptosh Majumdar: In the days to come, will DMRC like the parent Raliways become a slightly profit-making company?
E Sreedharan:Yes, there is no doubt about it.
Diptosh Majumdar: And you have reasons to be happy with good discipline?
E Sreedharan: There is a lot of misuse of facilities here but once the initial curiosity fades away then things become normal.
Diptosh Majumdar: Have you learnt the art of driving the Metro train?
E Sreedharan: No, I am not authorised to do that.
Spiritual Life
Diptosh Majumdar: In what is the universal presence God manifested for you?
E Sreedharan: It is manifested in a tree standing. There is a divine working in everyone.
Diptosh Majumdar: For you family is important and the importance is transmitted to the entire staff.
E Sreedharan: I encourage my staff to go for a walk especially with their spouses as that makes a lot of difference. You relax, you unburden your mind, you share your difficulties and your achievements that way.
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