Pradeep Singh Kharola, who assumed office as the Managing Director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Monday, said that his priority was to ensure that the working of the corporation was transparent and hassle-free.
Speaking to reporters at an informal gathering, he said that although there were not many major problems in the BMRCL, small glitches would be fixed.
BMRCL has been at the receiving end of public anger for allegedly withholding information and initiating projects without public debate and consent. Former Managing Director of BMRCL, N Sivasailam, had said at a recent public interaction, “I tweet project details. Our website too has plenty of information regarding the projects.”
However, people had expressed dissatisfaction about his comment, saying that Twitter and the BMRCL website were not of much use to people who cannot read English.
Consequently, the BMRCL decided to make the website bi-lingual. But the effort was limited only to the home page. Key content and essential information on the website were displayed in English alone.
When a journalist questioned the quality of the website, calling it inferior to that of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Sivasailam said they would work on improving the site soon.
Kharola said it would take some time for him to be able to comment on specific issues relating to the Corporation or the project.
“We are committed to adhering to deadlines and will work towards the expedited completion of works. We will throw open the Metro reaches to the public as early as possible.”
When questioned about the phase-II project near Jayadeva Hospital, which has become a cause for concern among citizens, he said that the Corporation would try to fix the problem soon. He added that it was too early to comment on the implementation of phase-II as the process had just begun.
He said the Corporation would take measures to ensure safety of labourers and also prevent accidents. BMRCL has been a talking point lately for lax safety measures, with even the High Court criticising BMRCL on the matter.
Meanwhile, the Union Labour Department has issued a show-cause notice to several contractors of BMRCL, seeking the reason for the impounding of their licences.