Hyderabad: Former IT minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Saturday, January 6, slammed the Congress government over failure to retain the Formula E race, scheduled for February 9, in the city.
“This is truly a poor and regressive decision by the Congress Government. Events like Hyderabad E-Prix enhance the brand image of our City and Country across the world,” said KTR, adding that KCR-led BRS government had put in a lot of effort and time to bring Formula E-Prix for the first time to India.
Formula E, earlier today, announced the cancellation of the race scheduled to take place in Hyderabad as part of the FIA World Championship event following inconclusive meetings with the newly elected Telangana government who failed to meet the requirements for the race.
KTR stressed that KCR-led Telangana government had used the Formula-E race as an occassion to conduct a week long EV Summit to attract enthusiasts, manufacturers and startups and showcase Hyderabad as an attractive investment destination.
Formula E has accused the Telangana government of breaching the multi-year agreement, adding that it is considering its position and what steps it may take under the Host City Agreement and applicable laws.
Other host cities confirmed on the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar for Season 10 include Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin, Monaco and London. The season begins next Saturday, 13 January, with the Hankook Mexico City E-Prix.
“The President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), Akbar Ebrahim, and his team have been incredibly supportive in bringing Formula E back to Hyderabad. They share our disappointment in the decision of the Government of Telangana which means that will not happen,” said Co-Founder and Chief Championship Officer, Formula E, Alberto Longo.
Formula E race in Hyderabad troubles Congress
The inaugural electric race in the country was held in February this year with then IT Minister KT Rama Rao playing a huge role in bringing the race to the city.
However, KTR’s BRS party lost the state election to Congress in December. Considering the operational challenges involved in hosting the first race, Formula E had dropped Hyderabad from the provisional calendar before including it in the final calendar in October.
Formula E officials had met members of the new government earlier this month. Initially, a four-year agreement was signed between Formula E, Telangana government and Greenko, which has pulled out of the event after the inaugural edition.
“It is deeply frustrating that we cannot build on the success of the inaugural race last year, which delivered almost 84m USD in positive economic impact to the region. We are also disappointed for our major Indian partners, particularly Mahindra and Tata Communications, said CEO, Formula E, Jeff Dodds.
