When the Janata Dal came into power, with Sri V. P. Singh as Prime Minister on 2nd December L989, Sri George Fernandez took oath as a cabinet minister and was assigned the Railway Ministry. Having been a fearless Railway union leader, who had organized Railway strikes in the past, Sri George Fernandez was not at all happy to occupy the Rail Bhawan. The then Chairman, Railway Board Sri M. N. Prasad sent an official vehicle to him and requested time for a meeting. Sri George Fernandez returned the Railway vehicle and shied away from taking charge for 3 days. On the 4th day, he drove into Rail Bhawan all by himself in his own old FIAT car and entered Rail Bhawan without any intimation or fanfare. The Railway Protection Force naturally stopped him as an intruder and he could find his way to his chamber only after identifying as the new Railway Minister. He was simplicity in a new avatar.
On the same way he held a meeting with Railway Board Members. I was then Member Engineering, Railway Board and was away to Kerala on a holiday. Sri George Fernandez made two demands in that meeting. One was construction of a Railway bridge linking Chithoni to Bagha across the Gandag river in Bihar, from where he was elected to the parliament. The 2″d was construction of a Railway line connecting Bombay to Mangalore along the west coast – an important missing link in the Railway map of India.
After a week on my return from leave, I met Sri George Fernandes for the first time in my life. The two projects which were close to his heart fell within the responsibility of Member Engineering, I then promised him that the procedures for sanctioning the above two projects would be taken expeditiously.
The West Coast Railway – the name Konkan Railway was coined later – was expected to be 840 Kms long and would cost about 1600 crores. The yearly railway budget for new lines used to be 250 to 300 crores and there were 25 railway lines already under construction. If West Coast Railway line is also added to this list Railway could set apart only about Rs.20 to 25 crores each year for this new line. With this share of allocation, the west coast railway would take 20/25 years for completion. Therefore, a new strategy for raising funds for the project and for its implementation was inevitable.
Then a new idea struck me. Why should the Indian Railway take up this project at all? Why can’t this project be executed by a Special Purpose Vehicle [SPV] in which all the four States along its route viz Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala could be equity partners on a BOT (Build, Operate & Transfer basis? In that case the four Governments need to contribute 1,/3 of the project cost and remaining 2/3 can be borrowed from the market. The SPV would then handle this project instead of Indian Railways.
I had an opportunity to place this proposal in front of Sri George Fernandez over breakfast on 02.01.1990 at Raj Bhawan, Lucknow where we had gone for inaugurating the construction of Chithoni Bagha bridge. Being a shrewd administrator rather than a politician, he jumped to grab this proposal wholeheartedly. Within 2 days of our return to Delhi, he was able to get the clearance from the Finance Minister Sri Madhu Dandavate, vice chairman Planning commission Sri Ramakrisha Hegde – both hailing from the Konkan region and finally the nod from the Prime Minister Sri V. P. Singh.
Sri George Fernandez thereafter directed me to contact the 4 State Governments, get their consent for equity participation in the project and get an agreement executed between the Indian Railways and the 4 State Governments. Even though Konkan Railway does not touch Kerala State, Government of Kerala magnanimously came forward to participate in the project. The proposal was then taken to the union Cabinet and the project was included in the Railways works programme for the year 1990-91, Thereafter a company was floated under the name Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd which had the responsibility to carryout final location survey, prepare estimate, raise funds from the market and execute the project. Following my retirement from Railways on 30.06.1990, Sri George Fernandez appointed me as the first chairman-cum-Managing Director of Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. The rest is history.
During his tenure as Railway Minister, he gave full support to this huge railway project. Even after he moved out of Railway Ministry as Defence Minister, and Later out of government of India, the same guidance and support was forthcoming. Konkan Railway, though passing through one of the most difficult terrains ever encountered in the history of Railway construction in India got completed in a record short period of 7 years.
Hailing from the Konkan region, Konkan Railway was a dream for Sri George Fernandez. The very decisive steps he took as Railway Minister and financing strategy employed made his dream come true. This country would not have got this most useful railway line, which reduced travel time by 12 hours and travel distance by 650 Kms, but for his vision and passion.
The country is indebted to this genius for all time to come and Konkan Railway will remain as an everlasting achievement of Sri George Fernandes.