Hyderabad : Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy ordered the ongoing Hyderabad Airport Metro Rail project to be put on hold and directed officials to prepare alternative alignment plans as well as cost-effective routes.
Reddy conducted a detailed review of the Hyderabad Metro project, its expansion plans, Airport Metro project and others today. He inquired as to how the Airport Metro alignment was fixed along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) through the G.O.111 area, where the scope for development is limited due to restrictions and already has a very good transport facility.
He said that since a major part of the city’s population resides in central and eastern parts as well as in the Old city, priority should be given to take the Airport Metro alignment through Old city from MGBS-Falaknuma and from LB Nagar area to serve a vast majority of the common people.
He stated that the city will have to be developed and expanded in all directions and stressed that Hyderabad has tremendous potential to be a global city with no geographical limitations. Telangana has 40 per cent urbanisation and further urbanisation is underway on a rapid pace.
"Hyderabad city should be planned in such a manner so that it can initially accommodate about two crore population and finally around three crore population. This can be done by creating satellite townships across ORR and Metro Rail shall play an important role in providing affordable and fast connectivity to these satellite townships," he said.
The CM instructed the senior officers to keep the present airport alignment plan and its tender process on hold and prepare alternative alignment plans from MGBS-Falaknuma and LB Nagar via Chandrayangutta. He also directed MD of Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) to prepare cost effective alternative routes via Mailardevpally, Jalpally and P7 Road or via Barkas-Pahadishareef and Srisailam Road. He said that if a straight line alignment can save cost, it can be taken across the open areas of the airport premises as the entire land belongs to the government.
Further, Reddy advised the senior officers to plan an environmental friendly mega township in the huge tracts of land acquired for Pharma City near Kandukur. He opined that the polluting Pharma City should not be nearer to Hyderabad and instead, located in a distant place. He also instructed MD, HMRL to plan for Metro Rail connectivity to this mega new city from the Airport area via Tukkuguda on Srisailam Road.
Expressing his dissatisfaction with the way several benefits have been handed out to the L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited (LTMRHL) despite non-completion of a 5.5 km stretch in the Old city, he directed the senior officers to get the whole matter investigated. He also asked for a thorough examination of the concession agreement between LTMRHL and GMR Airport and the supplementary concession agreement of Metro Rail to protect government’s interests.
Stating that his government takes a balanced approach between welfare schemes and development of the city, he directed the senior officers to come up with a master plan for the city, including beautification of Musi river and plan for east-west road-cum-Metro Rail connectivity from Nagole to Gandipet, duly connecting the intercity bus terminal of MGBS.
He advised the senior officers to think big to exploit Hyderabad’s potential to be a logistics and medical hub between the Western and Gulf countries on one hand South East Asia on the other. He also instructed them to plan for a dry port, since Telangana is a landlocked state.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Minister for Revenue, I&PR Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari, Spl.CS MA&UD Arvind Kumar, MD, HMRL NVS Reddy and senior CMO officers V.Seshadri, B.Shivadhar Reddy and Shahnawaz Qasim participated in the review meeting.
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