Metro man to head road renovation panel

He may have achieved fame as the mastermind behind the Konkan Railway and Delhi Metro, but E Sreedharan’s expertise, it seems, is not limited to railways.

After asking him to help out with the Kozhikode Monorail and the High Speed Rail Corridor, the state government has tasked the Metro Man with heading a sub-committee of the State Planning Board to study methods to increase the durability of roads. State Planning Board vice-chairman K M Chandrasekhar told Express that the committee was formed a few months ago and that its activities were progressing well.

“The committee was formed after a proposition arose in board meetings that the durability of roads being built in the state has to be increased. Former Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan, who is also a non-official member of the State Planning Board, has been tasked with leading the study. Another board member and a handful of engineers are also part of the group. We have not given them any definite deadline to submit their reports but I think they have already conducted a dozen meetings,” he said.

Sreedharan hinted he was leading the group at a recent function held in Kozhikode and confirmed the news later to Express. But he was unwilling to divulge further details regarding the progress of the study. But Planning Board member C P John, who is also a member of the committee, said that its work was nearly done.