Keep An Alternative Alignment for HMR: CM Revanth Reddy

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has asked senior officers to keep the present Airport Metro Rail route alignment plan and its tender on hold and to quickly prepare alternative alignments from MGBS-Falaknuma and from LB Nagar via Chandrayangutta.

The Chief Minister, who held a detailed review on the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, its expansion plans, Airport Metro project and other projects on Wednesday, directed the HMRL Managing Director to prepare cost effective alternatives of taking it via Mailardevpally, Jalpally and P7 Road; or via Barkas-Pahadi Shareef and Srisailam Road.

“A straight line alignment can save costs. It can cut across the open areas of the Airport premises as the entire land belongs to the Government,” he said.

The Chief Minister advised senior officials to plan for an environmentally friendly mega township in the huge extent of lands acquired for Pharma City near Kandukur. The polluting Pharma City should not be nearer to Hyderabad and instead, it should be located in a distant place, he said and instructed HMRL managing director to plan for Metro Rail connectivity to the 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 Metro Rail Concessionaire L&TMRHL despite non-completion of the 5.5 km stretch in the Old City, he directed officials to get the whole matter investigated.

The concession agreement of L&T HMRL and that of GMR Airport and the supplementary concession agreement of Metro Rail would be thoroughly examined to protect the government’s interests, he said.

He wanted to know how the Airport Metro alignment was fixed along the ORR through the G.O.111 area, where the scope for development was limited and already a very good transport facility in the form of ORR was there.

“Since a major part of the city’s population is in central and eastern parts and in the Old city, priority should have been 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 said.

He emphasized that the city would have to be developed and expanded equally in all directions and that Hyderabad had tremendous potential to be a global city with no geographical limitations. Keeping the fact that Telangana was already at 40 percent urbanisation and rapidly getting further urbanized, Hyderabad city should be planned for accommodating initially about two crore population and finally around three crore population, by creating satellite townships all around ORR with Metro Rail to play an important role in providing affordable and fast connectivity to these satellite townships, he said.

Stating that his government would take a balanced approach between welfare schemes and development of the city, Revanth Reddy directed officials to come up with a Master Plan for the city, including beautification of Musi river and making use of the right of way available along its banks to plan for east-west road-cum-Metro Rail connectivity from Nagole to Gandipet, duly connecting the intercity bus terminal of MGBS.

He asked officials to think big to exploit Hyderabad’s potential to be a logistics and medical hub between the Western and Gulf countries on one hand and South East Asia on the other. He also instructed them to plan for a dry port, since Telangana was a landlocked State.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari, Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar, HMRL MD NVS Reddy and senior CMO officers V Seshadri, B Shivadhar Reddy and Shahnawaz Qasim were present.

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