Sreedharan, who was heading the Delhi Metro rail project, is running hither and thither to recover his deductions of Rs. 4000 per month from his salary.

The 77-year-old is yet to get his full pension despite the services he has rendered to the society by bringing in a new mode of transportation for the Delhities, the Metro Rail.

Sreedharan retired from the Indian Railways in the year 1990 and joined the Konkan Railway on a pay package of Rs. 9,000-10,000 for a five-year term. From Konkan Railways he was called to head the Delhi Metro Rail project in the year 1997. Following this, the Konkan Railways, for a period of five years deducted Rs. 4000 on grounds that he cannot draw pension from two departments simultaneously. Now Sreedharan is drawing a take home pension of Rs. 1,080 per month after excluding IT, PF, HRA and travel allowance which he claims is half the salary of a Konkan railway executive.

In the year 2008, the court ordered Rs. 10 lakh to be paid to Sreedharan. The Center disputed this order, but on Tuesday a division bench consisting of Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice Manmohan told the Center’s lawyer, “You should be ashamed. We feel we should impose heavy cost on the official who advised you to file this appeal.”

Whether this statement will put an end to the pension quandary of Sreedharan is a wait and watch situation.