Mangu Singh likely to succeed Sreedharan

Mangu Singh, currently looking after civil construction of Metro lines as director (works) is likely to succeed Elattuvalapil Sreedharan as the managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

Mangu Singh, currently looking after civil construction of Metro lines as director (works) is likely to succeed Elattuvalapil Sreedharan as the managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

A senior Delhi government official said the three-member panel, that interviewed six short-listed candidates last week, had selected Singh to replace Sreedharan, who will demit office on December 31 after an illustrious stint with the DMRC for about 14 years.

“The selection process has almost finished and we are completing the paperwork. The official announcement would be made very soon,” a senior Delhi government official said.A civil engineer by qualification, 56-year-old Singh is viewed as a close confidant of Sreedharan. Though there were 35 applications, he was considered a front-runner for the post. Sources said the eligibility criterion was designed in a way to give Singh an edge over others.Singh had not only assisted Sreedharan on the Kolkata Metro project but also executed several important projects in the Delhi Metro. “He executed the underground section in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Delhi Metro, oversaw the construction of high speed airport Metro and took Phase 3 on drawing board and prepared its detailed project report,” a senior Metro official said, requesting anonymity.Officials said Sreedharan always wanted an engineer from his organisation to replace him as the managing director. Though several bureaucrats were eyeing the seat, Sreedharan had communicated both to the Delhi government and Central government — which have equal stakes in the Metro — to have a technocrat as the next MD.While Sreedharan will retire on December 31, senior government officials said he would continue to be associated with the Delhi Metro project in some capacity.