Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd. Managing Director, NVS Reddy was felicitated today at Dr. MCRHRD Institute of Telangana for the successful launching of the Metro Rail Project.
Speaking on the occasion, B P Acharya, IAS, Spl. Chief Secretary Planning & DG, Dr. MCR HRD Institute said that the success story of the project is a rich source of inspiration for all the civil servants.
NVS Reddy was at Dr. MCR HRD Institute of Telangana to address Officer Trainees of All India Services and Central Civil Services from across the country, who are attending 92nd Foundation Course. He spoke on “Be a Pioneer & Make a Difference: Hyderabad Metro PPP Example”. He said, with a sense of pride, that the 72 km Metro Rail project is the largest Metro project in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode in the entire world. “its mega success showcased to the global audience the extraordinary capabilities of India to conceptualize and execute technologically-rich projects of the highest order.
Continuing his address, he said that the project will break-even in the fifth year and will start making profits from the sixth year on wards. He stated that the financial model of the project, which involves generation of 45% of the revenue from passenger fares, 45% from property development, and the remaining 5% from advertisements, is quite robust in nature and is in line with the profit making metro rail projects from across the globe.
Reddy said that mere technical skills alone are not enough to take big projects to the shore, safely and successfully and called upon the trainee civil servants to develop not only decision making and interpersonal skills but also learn and perfect the art of tact and networking with multiple stakeholders. “The officers should keep acquiring a broader set of skills on a continuing basis, in the light of their ongoing experience on the ground, as these are not taught in educational institutions, either in India or abroad”, he added.
Reddy said that the HMR Project involved an innumerable number of challenges, including 330 court cases, extensive coordination with multifarious stakeholders, an array of agitations, etc. He gave full credit to his team which rose to the occasion and made it a grand success, despite the widespread apprehensions about its viability. Reddy thanked a large number of people from different walks of life for their proactive support in facing the challenges with a sense of confidence. He made a special mention of B P Acharya for his help in the allotment of land and identifying investors for the Metro Rail Project.(NSS)