The Centre on Thursday ended the confusion surrounding the list of invitees to the inauguration of the Kochi Metro by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday by confirming to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Office the inclusion of India’s Metro Man E Sreedharan, the de facto chief executive of the State’s first Metro project, in the list of invitees.
“Dr E Sreedharan will be on the stage of inauguration of the Kochi Metro. The Prime Minister’s Office has informed that E Sreedharan and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala will be included (in the list of invitees to the programme),” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday.
The inauguration of Kerala’s ambitious urban transport project had plunged into a controversy the other day with reports alleging that Sreedharan, advisor to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and chief consultant for the Rs8,000-crore Kochi Metro Rail project, had not figured in the list of invitees to the programme handed over to the State Government by the PMO.
The Kochi Metro Rail limited had forwarded to the Centre a list of 13 people to be invited to be present on the stage of the inauguration. However, the preliminary list approved by the Prime Minister’s Office contained only four names — The Prime Minister, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu, State Governor P Sathasivam and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Though their names were not on the list of invitees, it was said that local MP KV Thomas, State Transport Minister Thomas Chandy and Kochi Mayor Soumini Jain would be allowed on the stage. The development sparked off a controversy with almost all political parties protesting against the reported exclusion especially of Sreedharan and the Opposition leader.
Following this, the Chief Minister’s office had written to the PMO requesting a review of alleged the trimming of the list of invitees. Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post on Thursday that the information on the new list had come from the Centre following this. However, local MlA PT Thomas’s name did not figure in the new list also.
Sreedharan, meanwhile, chose to stay away from the controversy even on Thursday when he reached Kochi for a last-minute review of the project. “Why should I be invitedIJ I have no problems about it. I am just a humble worker doing this job,” he said and indicated that he might not have any involvement in stage two of the Kochi Metro project.
Even before the Chief Minister announced the inclusion of Sreedharan’s name in the list of invitees to the programme, State BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan informed newsmen about the development in Pathanamthitta. He said there had been no decision to exclude Sreedharan from the list of invitees.
The Prime Minister will inaugurate on Saturday morning the 13-KM first reach of the 25-KM- Stage One of the Kochi Metro between Aluva and Palarivattom.
Sreedharan, 81, had overseen the entire Kochi Metro project from its conception to execution weathering harsh monsoons, delays in delivery of materials, labour problems, etc.