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Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will meet ‘metroman’ E. Sreedharan here on Wednesday to discuss the latest controversy over Kochi Metro Rail project.
Sreedharan, formerly managing director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), is now principal adviser to the Kochi Metro project.
GOVT POSITION
The State Government has all along proposed DMRC to be the implementing agency for the Rs 5,186-crore project under the supervision of Sreedharan.
The controversy stems from a letter to DMRC written by Tom Jose, formerly managing director of Kochi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (KMRL). Jose is now principal secretary, public works, Kerala.
Copies of his letter to DMRC were released to newspersons in Kochi by P. Rajeev, MP, who has asked the State Government to clarify its position with regard to the letter.
He wanted to know how Jose could write an official letter to the Union Urban Development Secretary Sudhir Krishna, currently chairman of DMRC as well.
SPECIFIC query
Among other things, Jose had wondered if ‘works proposed to be taken up here, including Kochi Metro, mono rail and others’ had the support of current DMRC board.
Jose wrote the letter on September 26, after moving out of KMRL, and sought to know from DMRC ‘the specific role assigned to Sreedharan’ in Kochi Metro project.
The letter was written at a time when the State Government had been at pains to reiterate its position on DMRC and Sreedharan vis-à-vis the project.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said here on Sunday that the Government had not authorised Jose to write the letter. It will seek an explanation from Jose on the circumstances leading to his ‘unprovoked act.’
TWIN ROLE
The project had earlier run into problem over DMRC’s twin role as author of the detailed project report and executor.
Doubts were also raised whether the project would be able to access Japan International Cooperation Agency funds if there was no global tender.
A KMRL board meeting held in Kochi on Friday ducked these issues and postponed a decision on the implementing agency to its meeting to be held next month.
It had also observed that consent of DMRC board is a must for any metro project that the agency takes up outside Delhi.
> vinson.kurian @thehindu.co.in
> sajeevkumar.v@thehindu.co.in
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