E Sreedharan, popularly known as India’s “metro man”, will be present on the dias during the inauguration of the Kochi Metro on Saturday.
He will be joined by dignitaries like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, governor and Union minister Venkaiah Naidu.
There was a controversy over his
As per the initial approved list from the PMO, the names of ‘Metro man’ E Sreedharan and some key personalities were missing from the list of dignitaries who will share the stage with Modi during the Kochi Metro inauguration on June 17.
The Rs-5,181 crore Kochi Metro is said to be the first Metro in India to cover a longest distance of 13 km (11 stations) in the first phase.
There was a social media outrage and people questioned the decision. The issue turned into a controversy after supporters of Left parties and the Congress targeted the PMO over this move.
What changed the PMO decision?
The office of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to the PMO on Wednesday asking it to let Sreedharan to be on stage. And PMO, as per reports and a tweet by the CM’s office, agreed.
Amid all this, it is the Metro Man Sreedharan’s response that has truly won hearts.
When asked to comment on the controversy, Sreedharan, who was also Principal Adviser of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, simply said, “Please don’t make a controversy over the issue. Prime Minister’s security is important.”
He also said he had no problem with not being invited on the dias. “I have no issues. Since I am a worker here, there is no need for an invitation,” he said.