HYDERABAD (Metro Rail News): The government of Hyderabad will soon begin the process for acquiring land for fulfilment of the five km stretch of metro rail between MGBS-Falaknuma.Municipal Administration Minister KTR said the Legislative Assembly that 93 religious and sensitive structures fall into the five km metro route in Old City of which eighteen were possible to be affected due to road widening and metro alignment. These structures were, however, aimed to be saved using engineering solutions.
The Minister was responding to a query through Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen member Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri while Question Hour in the Legislative Assembly. Mr Pasha Quadri stated people in Old City were eagerly waiting for the initiation of metro rail works in the location.
Stressing the need to protect the religious and sensitive structures that were expected to be effected through the project, he wanted the govt to give a specific time frame by that the works will start. Mr Rama Rao stated the govt was serious about ensuring effective public transport system and also had so that allotted huge funds for taking up infrastructure operates in the GHMC location.
The MLAs describing the constituencies in Old City should coordinate with the officials concerned in assuring the acquisition of the land needed for the project and the govt was committed to commencing the works on a war footing. To another question, the Minister said the L&T, which was entrusted the metro rail project, the largest in the PPP mode, had been asked to provide monthly passes to metro passengers, and the government would also consider the request to extend timings of metro trains beyond 10 p.m.
Asked about the Centre’s contribution to the project, he said it had sanctioned ₹1,450 cr as its contribution towards viability gap funding. Of this, ₹1,200 cr had been released thus far.
To a question by TRS member K.P. Vivekananda about the scope for extending metro rail project between JNTU and Hi-Tec City, Mr. K T Rama Rao stated the govt was considering an elevated BRTS corridor on the route while introducing tram was also being examined to ease the traffic congestion in the city. Launch of works on setting up of bike stations received an enthusiastic response from a majority of the commuters and works for setting up of around twenty multi-level parking complexes would also be taken up shortly.
On the metro works connecting the airport, he added the DPR of airport metro express corridor was under examination and a decision concerning its implementation would be taken shortly.
