Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) strongly criticised Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over the Centre’s failure to approve the Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase-2 project, stating that it is a glaring example of the Congress government’s administrative incompetence and inability to safeguard Telangana’s interests.
In a statement to media on Monday, June 15, KTR alleged that despite making 71 visits to New Delhi, the chief minister has failed to secure the Centre’s approval for Metro Phase-2, which exposed his lack of influence and ineffective leadership.
Demanding accountability, KTR called upon the chief minister to apologise to the people of Hyderabad, for what he described as a complete failure in securing Metro Phase-2, and for allegedly jeopardizing the future expansion of the existing metro network.
“While the Central Government has approved metro projects for cities such as Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad and other states, the Telangana government has failed to obtain clearance for Hyderabad Metro Phase-2. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy must explain to the people of Hyderabad why he could not secure this crucial project,” KTR questioned.
He alleged that the chief minister lacked the courage to question Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre due to political compulsions arising from the alleged ‘cash-for-vote’ case pending against him.
“Unable to question the Centre over its discrimination against Telangana, Revanth Reddy is resorting to the cheap tactic of blaming the BRS to divert public attention from his own failures,” KTR alleged.
He further alleged that Revanth Reddy has entered into a covert understanding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, which), according to him, explained why repeated visits to Delhi have yielded no results.
KTR said the chief minister’s own remarks of him being treated dismissively during his visits to Delhi reflected his inability to effectively represent the state’s interests before the Centre.
“The people of Hyderabad deserve answers as to why approvals and financial support that were secured swiftly during the previous BRS government are now being delayed under the Congress administration,” he wondered.
KTR asserted that the credit for successfully completing the Hyderabad Metro Rail project belonged entirely to former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR).
He recalled that when the BRS assumed office in 2014, only 28 per cent of the metro works had been completed during the previous Congress regime till 2014.
“Under the leadership of KCR, the BRS government expedited execution and completed the remaining 72 per cent of the project, despite various challenges and limited support from the Centre,” he noted.
KTR said the previous BRS government had designed Metro Phase-2 based on traffic congestion, urban expansion and the mobility needs of the citizens.
He stated that the project was planned with six corridors, 72 stations and a total network length of 76.4 kilometre to cater to Hyderabad’s rapidly growing population.
Criticising the Congress government’s approach, KTR alleged that Revanth Reddy was prioritising metro connectivity to a “non-existent imaginary city,” driven by his personal interests, instead of focusing on the routes that could benefit the public.
He accused the Chief Minister of shelving the Phase-2 project over the last two-and-a-half years, and reiterated that the cancellation of the Shamshabad Airport Metro corridor soon after assuming office was a betrayal of Hyderabad’s residents.
KTR also accused the state government of intimidating Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the company that developed the Hyderabad Metro Rail project.
He alleged that the Congress government was attempting to pressurize the company as part of a conspiracy to take control of highly valuable metro assets and prime land associated with the project.
“The government’s alleged threats and hostile approach towards L&T have created uncertainty around the future of Hyderabad Metro, and undermined investor confidence in Telangana,” KTR claimed.
KTR demanded that the state government immediately clarify its roadmap for Metro Phase-2 and ensure that Hyderabad’s long-term transportation needs were not compromised.
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