Lakshman Singh took charge on Monday as the first full-time Managing Director (MD) of the Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company (K-RIDE) in three years.
On Tuesday morning, Singh, who is an officer from the Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE), inspected the Chikkabanavara-Yeshwanthpur stretch of corridor-2 (Mallige Line) of the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP).
Outgoing MD Govinda Reddy on Monday formally handed over to Singh the charge of K-RIDE, a joint venture between the Karnataka government and the Ministry of Railways to develop rail infrastructure projects in the state.
“Lakshman Singh is a technocrat with an illustrious engineering career spanning over 30 years in Indian Railways. He brings exceptional technical expertise, visionary leadership, and a proven track record of delivering complex, high-impact infrastructure projects across India. I am confident that the project will benefit greatly from his leadership,” Reddy said.
Singh said that over the past few years, he has understood the project’s significance and transformative potential for the people of Karnataka, and the challenges it has faced. “I know how important the work before us is and what it is capable of achieving. Difficult problems are not new to engineers. In fact, engineering exists because problems exist. We cannot be distracted by obstacles. We can only be guided by duty,” he added.
Singh has served in key roles including as Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM), Divisional Railway Manager (Works), Chief Engineer (Construction), and in other senior positions, taking up responsibilities in contracts, infrastructure development, legal affairs, encroachment management, HR, budgeting, inventory control, and interministerial coordination with the governments of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
He was also involved in executing the 676-metre Bheema Rail Bridge, South Western Railway’s longest 25T axle-load railway bridge connecting Bijapur in Karnataka and Solapur in Maharashtra; development of the first air-conditioned railway station building at Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya Terminal; and other key projects.