Delhi govt nominates four representatives for DMRC board

The Delhi government has nominated four representatives, including AAP leaders Raghav Chadha and Atishi, to be appointed to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's board of directors, sources said.

This is for the first that non-bureaucrats have been nominated by the government for the DMRC's Board.

Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission(DDC) vice chairman Jasmine Shah and AAP's Rajya Sabha MP ND Gupta's son Naveen Gupta are the two other persons nominated by Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot as the government's representatives in the board, a top Delhi government official said.

The DMRC board comprises 17 members, including five members each from the Centre and the Delhi government.

"The Delhi government has not appointed its chief secretary, as well as finance and transport secretaries to the board.

"Currently, Mangu Singh, managing director of the DMRC and Ramesh Chandra, former finance secretary, are serving as Delhi government nominees on the board," a source said.

Gahlot did not respond to messages and phone calls.

The transport minister in his July 13 communication to the DMRC did not specify why it nominated four persons when three posts of directors are vacant.

"It is not clear whether they wish to remove the current DMRC Managing Director, Mangu Singh, or the other director Ramesh Chandra," the source said.

The move comes at a time when the Kejriwal government's ambitious scheme for providing free ride to women in public buses and Delhi Metro trains is taking shape.

The issue of free ride to women in metro trains is yet to be resolved as the DMRC has sought eight months to implement it while the AAP government wants it to be implemented before the assembly polls scheduled early next year.

"Recommendation for appointment of politicians in place of non-bureaucrats may help the government in pushing for early implementation of the free ride scheme," the source said.

The transport minister in his communication to DMRC said that the nominations were made with immediate effect.

"The necessary formalities may be completed immediately, so that they are able to attend the board meeting scheduled on July 16," he said.

In case the formalities are not completed in time, the board meeting may be postponed by a week, so that the new nominees could take part in it, the minister said in the communication.