CM puts airport alignment plan for Metro Rail on hold

Hyderabad: In major decision, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has decided to keep the present Airport alignment plan for Metro Rail development project on hold. The Chief Minister said the Airport Metro alignment was fixed along the ORR through GO111 area, where the scope for development is limited and already a very good transport facility in the form of ORR was there.

The CM asked the officials to prepare alternative alignments from MGBS-Falaknuma and from LB Nagar via Chandrayangutta. Revanth Reddy conducted a detailed review on the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, its expansion plans, Airport Metro project etc. on Wednesday.

Since a major part of the city’s population is in central and eastern parts and in the Old city, the CM said that 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 emphasised that the city will have to be developed and expanded equally in all directions and that Hyderabad has tremendous potential to be a global city with no geographical limitations. Keeping the fact that Telangana is already at 40% urbanisation and is further rapidly getting urbanised, 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 and Metro Rail shall play an important role in providing affordable and fast connectivity to these satellite townships.

Revanth directed MD, HMRL to prepare cost effective alternatives of taking it (1) via Mailardevpally, Jalpally and P7 Road; or (2) via Barkas-Pahadishareef and Srisailam Road. He desired that if 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.

Further, he advised the senior officers to plan for an environmentally friendly mega township in the huge extent of lands acquired for Pharma City near Kandukur. He opined that the polluting Pharma City shall not be nearer to Hyderabad and instead, it shall be 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.

The CM expressed dissatisfaction with the way several benefits have been handed out to the Metro Rail Concessionaire L&TMRHL despite non-completion of 5.5 km stretch in the Old city. He directed the senior officers present to get the whole matter investigated. He desired that the Concession Agreement of L&TMRHL and that of GMR Airport and the supplementary Concession Agreement of Metro Rail shall be thoroughly got examined to protect Government’s interests.

The CM advised the senior officers to think big to explore 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.