Thiruvananthapuram, September 8 (Daily Kiran) : Kerala’s Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan recently met with the esteemed civil engineer Dr. E. Sreedharan. This meeting, announced by Satheesan on the social media platform X, focused on advancing the state’s major connectivity and development projects.
In his post, Satheesan highlighted the productive discussions aimed at ensuring sustainable and long-term development for Kerala. He also included the hashtag #PuthuYugaKeralam, which translates to “New Era Kerala.” This initiative represents a comprehensive vision for development and governance, aiming to transform Kerala into a knowledge-based, technologically self-reliant, and sustainable economy.
Dr. E. Sreedharan, often referred to as the “Metro Man,” is a prominent civil engineer and politician known for revolutionizing public transport in India. His engineering accomplishments are numerous. Notably, in 1964, he repaired the Pamban Bridge in Tamil Nadu, which had been damaged by a cyclone, in just 46 days—well ahead of the six-month timeline set for the project. He also played a crucial role in planning and designing India’s first metro rail system, the Kolkata Metro.
In the 1990s, Sreedharan successfully led the challenging Konkan Railway project, which traversed difficult terrains across multiple states. He served as the Managing Director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation from 1995 to 2012, completing the first phase ahead of schedule and within budget.
His contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Padma Shri in 2001 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008, India’s second-highest civilian honor. In 2005, the French government awarded him the Legion of Honor, and Time magazine named him one of Asia’s heroes in 2003.
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