1. On 3rd November 2013, the Government of Japan announced the foreign recipients of the 2013 Autumn Imperial Decorations. Among the 49 foreign recipients is Dr. Sreedharan,　age 81, former Managing Director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, who received “the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star”.

The Insignia and Certificate was conferred on Dr. Sreedharan by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Presentation Ceremony held in the Imperial Palace on 6th November. After the Ceremony, he was granted an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.

2. This Order was bestowed on Dr. Sreedharan for his contribution to strengthening Japan’s presence in India and to promoting friendly relations between Japan and India through the Delhi Metro Project, which he conceived, structured and painstakingly executed.

3. Dr. Sreedharan’s personal history and accomplishments:

1) He was born in Kerala State, India, in 1932 and joined Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) in 1954. He was Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation from 1997 to the end of 2011. During the 14 years, he played the leading role in carrying the Delhi Metro project forward with the support of the Official Development Assistance by the Government of Japan. He not only adopted Japanese technologies and experiences in the field of energy savings, rails and consulting, but also implemented the uniquely Japanese labour cultures such as “no-ki (strict observance of schedules)” into the construction sites in Delhi. As a result, he successfully completed the project well before its scheduled timeline.

2) He elevated the Delhi Metro to one of the corporations that provide passengers with the highest level of service in the world.

-The highest ridership per day reaches more than 25 lakh passengers.
-The punctual operation at two minute intervals, even during the peak hours, has alleviated traffic jams and decreased pollution.

3) Based on the success of Delhi Metro with the cooperation of Japan, the ODA from Japan has been introduced for financing the metro projects in urban cities such as Chennai and Bangalore. Moreover, impressed with zero injuries to passengers on board the trains - including the high speed bullet trains - at the time of the great earthquake in the northern part of Japan, he decided to send a staff of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to Japan to study the Japanese railway technology.

4) He promoted the understanding among the people of India that such a Japan-India collaboration has made a great contribution to the public welfare in Delhi and India.


The Delhi Metro Project
The Delhi Metro was constructed with the support of the Official Development Assistance (soft loan) provided by the Government of Japan, totaling Rs.225 billion, covering 190km. More loan amount is expected to be extended for Phase 3 for the additional 103km. The technologies of Japanese companies contributed to the making of a truly modern metro system in India.

JICA has extended over decades technical cooperation for safety operation and maintenance, as well as technical assistance for construction, electrical and mechanical to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

* JICA: Japan International Cooperation Agency

The Government of Japan bestows upon Dr. Sreedharan, former Managing Director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, "the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star." (at the Presentation Ceremony in the Imperial Palace, Tokyo, 6th November, 2013)

Delhi Metro

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