Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) has alleged that the takeover of the Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL) from the Larsen & Toubro was being done to gain control of over 280 acres of land leased to the company, which the state government intended to give it to its near and dear ones.
Speaking towards the end of the assembly’s session on Thursday, March 26, KTR alleged that it was a larger plan of the state government to intimidate L&T, which was also the agency for constructing the Medigadda Barrage under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).
He said it was a big mistake on part of the Congress government to cancel the 32-km-long Shamshabad Airport Metro planned during the BRS government.
Also demanding the state government to table the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Musi Riverfront Development Project’s Phase 1 if there was any, KTR also questioned how was the state government going to acquire the remaining 16,000 acres for the Future City Project, for which the BRS had already acquired more than 14,000 acres.
KTR also warned the state government that the 14,000 odd acres of land acquired for the Pharma City Project during the BRS government, had certain conditions, which couldn’t be changed by using it for a different purpose.
Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu replied to KTR saying that there was nothing suspicious in the takeover of HMRL, as the Centre had made it clear that the integration for the Hyderabad Metro Phase 2 Project could be possible only if the L&T gave its no-objection.
“The L&T has assets worth Rs 27,000 crore. It is a world renowned company, which can’t be intimidated. Don’t believe in conspiracy theories being fed by others to you. We are going ahead with Falaknuma-Shamshabad airport because it comes under a densely populated area between Mahatma Gandhi Bus Stand (MGBS) and Chandrayangutta,” Sridhar Babu clarified.
Sridhar Babu also disclosed that 99 percent of land acquisition for the Hyderabad Metro Phase 2 has been completed by spending Rs 830 crore, for 880 properties that were identified for land acquisition.
Sridhar Babu also clarified that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Musi Rejuvenation Project has been shared with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and only after the final changes they make seek, it would be released before the members of the House, soon.
In support of HYDRAA
Sridhar Babu termed the actions of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) as an “administrative surgery” for “ecological restoration.”
He said that before the establishment of HYDRAA, files used to move between 10 departments, and the land grabbers used to take it as an advantage to secure stay orders from the courts.
“Now those 10 departments are under one command. The law is finally catching-up with the law-breakers. Any enforcement agency will take coercive action against those grabbing lands,” he asserted.
In support of GHMC’s reorganisation
Responding to the opposition members’ criticism of the reorganisation of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) into 3 municipal corporations, Sridhar Babu said that it was being done to achieve the objectives of Telangana Rising vision 2034 and 2047.
In support of the effort to merge the villages around Hyderabad with these municipal corporations, he felt that if it wasn’t done, these villages would become “urban slums” after 10 years, with no revenues to create even basic infrastructure.
He said the trifurcation of GHMC was distributive justice, where funds will be allotted to 300 wards, 60 circles and 12 zones in these trifurcared municipal corporations from a centralised point, which addresses the problems of “fragmented governance and unequal development.”
Through the reorganisation and bringing the three municipal corporations under the Core Urban Region Economy (CURE), GHMC’s limits will be extended from 625 sq km to 2,053 sq km with the ORR.
“Unified governance is our goal,” he declared.
He said that to avoid “administrative fragmentation” decision was taken, done with the objective of achieving administrative and geographical productivity.
He corrected BJP MLA Palvai Harish Babu saying no law was violated in trifurcation, as the reorganisation of wards and zones were notified to the Centre before December 31, 2025.
He underlined that the core units of the circles remained unchanged even after the reorganisation.
He also disclosed that as per the comprehensive development of roads in CURE, 1,045 km of road network will be laid, with the establishment and maintenance of 10 years.
He said 7.6 lakh street lights with an operation and maintenance period of 10 years will be installed.
The five elevated corridors
Sridhar Babu announced that three elevated corridors connecting Banjara Hills with Gachibowli Outer-Ring Road (ORR), Banjara Hills Road Number 1 with Mehdipatnam via Masab Tank, and Nampally with Masab Tank via Lakdikapul were presently under proposals to Detailed Project report (DPR) stages; which will reduce the traffic congestion problem to a great extent.
Speaking on the demand for grants for the budget for municipal administration and urban development, he said that the works for the other two elevated corridors from Paradise Junction to Dairy Farm Road, and Paradise Junction to Shamirpet ORR were in their preliminary stage, with ramps for Alwal and Trimulgherry.
He said a 450 metre underground tunnel near Hakeempet airbase was also part of that corridor.
He said that the Banjara Hills-Gachibowli ORR elevated corridor covering a distance of 9km was being constructed for Rs 1,656 crore, for which the DPR was being prepared.
For the Banjara Hills to Mehdipatnam via Masab Tank elevated corridor covering a distance of 5 km with four lanes, the DPR was being prepared.
He said the elevated corridor from Nampally to Masab Tank via Lakdikapul covering a distance of 2.39 km which runs parallel to the railway-line behind the Public Gardens was also proposed.
Once these 5 elevated corridors are completed, he said traffic congestion in those routes could be reduced.
He said the radial roads being planned at Raviryal interchange and Amangal-Regional Ring Road (RRR) were being constructed in two phases for Rs 4,601 crore.
He also disclosed that the drinking water coverage of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) was being extended from 169 sq km to 2,053 sq km as per the Master Plan of 2047.
Demands for grants
The demands for grants of municipal administration and urban development, governor and council of ministers, general administration and elections, administration of justice, transport administration, backward classes welfare, home administration, panchayat raj, rural development, women and child welfare department were placed before the house for passing, for a total budget amount of Rs 76,319.84 crore.
The assembly was adjourned till Saturday, March 28.
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