Telangana CM Revanth Reddy puts Hyderabad Airport Metro on hold
The previous BRS government had planned a 31-km-long Hyderabad Airport Express Metro corridor at an estimated cost of Rs 6,250 crore.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday ordered the ongoing Hyderabad Airport Metro plan and related works to be put on hold and asked officials to prepare alternate routes that are cost-effective.
Revanth Reddy questioned how L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited (LTMRHL) was given several benefits despite the non-completion of the project in the old city of Hyderabad, and instructed senior officers to investigate the issue.
The Telangana chief minister also directed officials to develop a new township in the huge tracts of lands acquired for Hyderabad Pharma City that was planned by the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.
The previous government had planned a 31-km long Airport Express Metro corridor connecting Raidurg Metro station in Madhapur and RGI Airport in Shamshabad via outer ring road (ORR) at an estimated cost of Rs 6,250 crore as a joint venture between Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL), Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), and Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC). The foundation for the project was laid in December 2022 and the groundwork related to alignment and documentation regarding tender works is ongoing. On Wednesday, Revanth Reddy conducted a detailed review of the metro rail project and its expansion plans and asked how the alignment was fixed along the ORR where the scope for development was limited due to GO-111 restrictions. He added that ORR is a sufficient mode of transport.
The previous government had decided to scrap GO-111 and open up about 1.32 lakh acres in 84 villages for development. The GO-111 prevented big constructions and industries in the 10-km radius of two Nizam-era water reservoirs, Osman Sagar, and Himayat Sagar, and its catchment on the city’s outskirts.
During the meeting, Reddy said priority should have been given to taking the Airport Metro alignment through the Old City from MGBS-Falaknuma corridor via Chandrayangutta and from L B Nagar to serve a vast majority of the people. The CM asked officials to prepare cost-effective alternatives and explore routes via Mailardevpally, Jalpally, and P7 Road, or Barkas-Pahadi Shareef and Srisailam Road.
The CM also expressed his dissatisfaction over several benefits handed over to the L&T MRHL despite the non-completion of a 5.5 km stretch connecting the old city of Hyderabad. He asked officials to thoroughly examine the concession agreement of LTMRHL and GMR Airport and the supplementary concession agreement of metro rail to protect the government’s interests.
Reddy said the city will have to be developed and expanded equally in all directions by creating satellite townships around ORR and hoped metro rail would play an important role in providing affordable and fast connectivity to these satellite townships. On these lines, he advised officials to plan for an environmentally friendly mega township in Kandukur where the government has acquired huge tracts of land for Pharma City.
He said Pharma City should not be near Hyderabad but at a distant place. He directed the HMRL to plan for metro rail connectivity to this mega township from the airport via Tukkuguda on Srisailam Road.
The CM also asked officials to prepare a new master plan for the city, including beautification of the Musi riverfront and a plan for an east-west road and metro rail corridor from Nagole to Gandipet, duly connecting intercity bus terminal MGBS.
He also advised senior officers to explore Hyderabad’s potential to be a logistics and medical hub between the West, the GCC countries and Southeast Asia. He also instructed them to plan for a dry port, since Telangana is a landlocked state.