Metro Man among US newsmakers

Sreedharan has been named for timely completion of Delhi Metro despite many obstacles, reports S Rajagopalan.

DMRC chief E Sreedharan has been named one of the "top 25 newsmakers of 2005" by the US's Engineering News-Record, a premier publication on the construction industry from the McGraw-Hill stable.

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In a list otherwise dominated by Americans, Sreedharan has been handpicked for the timely completion of Delhi's 66-km Metro rail project in December 2005 by "single-mindedly knocking down the many obstacles that have bedevilled other large Indian projects".

"This tough Indian manager cut through the country's notorious red tape, employed global best practices and adopted safety steps not common in Indian construction," says the tech weekly.

"Much more than a figurehead, Sreedharan isn't finished yet. At age 73, he plans to remain on the job for three more years to oversee completion of the next phase,” it says. Sreedharan will be honoured in a New York gala in April, along with the other innovators.

Another engineer to be honoured is China's Michael Yu, who has shaped a template for roadbuilders to construct China's National Trunk Highway System.