E Sreedharan, known as Metro Man, said he wanted to resign last month from the role of advisor to the Lucknow and Kanpur Metro projects, but Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath turned down his request.
Sreedharan, 85, had gone to meet the CM with the intention of reducing his work load, in return Adityanath gave him extra responsibilities, reported The Indian Express.
“He (Adityanath) said ‘I’m not allowing you to resign. In fact I’m also adding Varanasi, Agra and Meerut… and also Gorakhpur’,” Sreedharan told The Indian Express in Kochi on Thursday.
Sreedharan said while surveys have begun in Gorakhpur, Agra and Meerut, “the first phase of the 10.5-km line of the Lucknow Metro is ready and waiting for inspection from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety”.
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Last month, Sreedharan said the delay in starting the Lucknow Metro for public use cannot be attributed to the change in political power at the helm of Uttar Pradesh. Sreedharan said the transition in power from the Samajwadi Party (SP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in UP had no impact on the “planning or schedule” of the Lucknow Metro’s construction, reported The Hindu,
Sreedharan, however, believes India has still a long way to go when asked him about other Metro projects which are underway in different cities across the country.
“China is constructing 300 km every year, we are only doing 22 km. If cities have to survive, it is essential to have the Metro. We should do at least 200 km per year.”
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Sreedharan was recently in the news when his name did not feature in the list of dignitaries who were supposed to share the dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration of the Kochi Metro. His name was later included after media reports.
