Karmayogi: A Biography of E. Sreedharan

by M.S. Ashokan

Sreedharan officially took up the new job on 4 November 1997. In the beginning, DMRC did not even have a building to function out of. Two rooms, one each offered by the Union ministry for urban affairs and Rail Bhavan, were its temporary offices. The room in the ministry’s office was occupied by Pahuja, Gupta and Rajwade, while the registered office of the Konkan Railway in Rail Bhavan seated Sreedharan and Unni. Here began the initial legwork for DMRC. Soon, an office was set up in the Pragati Vihar hostel building near Lodhi Road. In the early days, the hostel did not have enough amenities, including electricity and water, to run the shop. Yet, the entire planning for the metro was done according to schedule, despite these inconveniences. To expand the office, three floors of the building were later leased and furnished.