Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which has ruled out participating in a global tender for Kochi Metro, may don the role of a principal consultant.

“Chennai and Bangalore metro projects are being carried out with DMRC as prime consultant. If Kerala Government requests us, we may heed that,” DMRC project director, Mr P Sriram, said.

The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd MD, Mr Tom Jose, said such an option was possible.“Kerala has been saying all the while that it’s following the Chennai metro model. Since Chennai has availed services of DMRC as a prime consultant, we too are happy to follow suit,” he said.

KMRL on Friday asserted that the global tender would ensure “transparency” and save the six per cent supervisory charges, nearly Rs 300 crore, which would go to DMRC if appointed the implementing agency. However, Mr Sriram said the amount was meant for salaries and related expenses.

“Even if KMRL awards the project to any other player, technical personnel have to monitor the work. But then DMRC expertise will not be available.

It was because of the special interest of Mr E. Sreedharan that the supervisory charges were cut down to 6 per cent from the usual 12.5 per cent,” Mr Sriram pointed out.

On taking a soft loan from Japan International Co-operation Agency, he said. “It was Mr Sreedharan who’d arranged the loan from the Japanese agency.”