Hyderabad: The Union defence ministry on Wednesday, January 24, agreed to hand over 3,380 sq yards of land in the city to the Telangana government for the construction of the skywalk in Mehadipatnam within four weeks.
In return, the Centre posed a condition that the state government should provide infrastructure worth Rs 15.15 crore to the defence ministry along with a license fee for a portion of the land for the next 10 years.
The construction of the skywalk, which began in May 2022, faced hurdles due to this major issue of land transfer from the Union defence ministry.
The skywalk is being built by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) with Rs. 32.97 crores. It will feature five hop-on stations stretching across 390 meters.
The project will feature five hop-on stations placed near prominent locations such as Rythu Bazar, the Defense compound wall, the Mehdipatnam bus bay area, the Asif Nagar police station, and the Gudimalkapur junction.
It will not only serve as a pedestrian pathway but also offer additional amenities for visitors. The Skywalk has 21,061.42 square feet of commercial space which will be utilized for the establishment of coffee shops, getaway corners, and snack lounges.
The skywalk adjoins the PV Narasimha Rao Expressway with Defence land on one side and commercial buildings on the other side.
Former MA&UD minister K T Rama Rao had written multiple letters to the defence ministry on the subject and had requested the land transfer during the BRS regime.
Recently, chief minister A Revanth Reddy also requested defence minister Rajnath Singh for the same during one of his recent visits to Delhi.
Navy gets land for VLF Radar station
Also, the state government on Wednesday handed over 1,174 hectares of forest land in Damagudem in the Rangareddy district to the Indian Navy for establishing a Very Low Frequency (VLF) Radar station, second in the country.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy handed over relevant papers to Navy officials in this regard.
