News Maker: 'Metro man' is national hero

Indian civil engineer Elattuvalapil Sreedharan retired 17 years ago, but since then nobody has let the blunt-talking railway man stop working.

Sreedharan, 74, was named one of India's 50 most powerful individuals in 2006 by top news magazine India Today, and has achieved national hero status for giving India's capital a world-class metro in record time.

He believes his stripped-down, hands-on, red tape-busting management style combined with a motivated professional team can be used as a blueprint to tackle India's chronic infrastructure woes.