The phenomenal success of Delhi Metro could create Metro Tech courses at IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology).
The managing director of the body, E.Sreedharan has urged the IITs to do so in order to meet the demands of this budding field which has the potential to grow into an industry.
The Delhi Metro is looking forward to employing engineers who are specialized in this field as the future will see more such projects in India.
Notably, the Delhi Metro has become a vital part of the whole transport infrastructure in New Delhi. It started operation in 2002 and has constantly expanded in the national capital region since then.
In a letter written to the HRD (Human Resources Development) ministry, the Delhi Metro has asked it to launch Post Graduate courses in different disciplines related to Metro Technology at the IITs.
According to Sreedharan, at least 50 engineers should pass out every year to meet the demand in near future. He said that the metro requires engineering professionals, who are specialized in Electrical, Signaling and Air-Conditioning Engineering. Besides there is also need for civil engineers.
According to him, when the metro project was started Indians had to depend on outside consultants. But over the years, Indian engineers have become adept at this technology and are now in a position to train others. Though he did agree that foreign expertise was required at times, but a specialized course in Metro Technology was the need of the hour.
It may be mentioned here that IIT-Delhi already runs a diploma course on Metro technology with full funding from the Delhi Metro. It was started three years ago and has 25 engineers in one batch. The engineers are imparted lessons by officials and engineers from the Delhi Metro before they join the organisation.