Karmayogi: A Biography of E. Sreedharan

by M.S. Ashokan

Ethics and personal integrity for an employee at DMRC were as indispensable as their professional skills if they were to stay on. According to Sreedharan, to be honest at DMRC meant more than the mere meaning of the word. It was not enough to possess professional integrity, employees had to be seen as people with integrity so that everyone could recognize that trait in them instantly. The selection process had been a protracted one for exactly this reason, testing recruits for both honesty and competence. New recruits had to sign a document containing a nine-point code of conduct, declaring their commitment to ethics and moral values. Some of the codes ran thus: do not make illicit profit in the form of cash or otherwise while part of the organization; do not conspire or lobby for personal gains or self-aggrandizement; do not misuse the position for selfish gains; do not indulge in business or trade while being employed; do not indulge in immoral activities such as adultery; do assist in eliminating corruption, etc.