Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy will lay the foundation for the Hyderabad metro rail works in the Old City on March 7, the Congress party confirmed.
TPCC senior vice president G Niranjan on Sunday, March 7 said that people of the Old City and the Congress party are elated at the chief minister’s decision to start the metro works in the old city of Hyderabad at Falakunama.
Revanth Reddy in January had directed Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) Limited officials to expedite the traffic studies and detailed project reports (DPRs) for the proposed revised Airport Metro alignment via the Old City and from LB Nagar, connecting Nagole and LB Nagar Metro stations.
This new alignment aims to reduce construction costs by utilizing a 40 ft wide central median without obstructions.
The plan includes incorporating metro rail connectivity in the Musi riverfront East-West corridor and extending existing metro corridors to nearby destinations for city growth.
The Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited has identified tentative locations for five metro stations near significant landmarks like Salarjung Museum, Charminar, Shalibanda, Shamsheergunj, and Falaknuma to complete the green line connecting JBS in Secunderabad and Falaknuma in the Old City.
Congress blames AIMIM for delay in Old City metro
In a press release, Niranjan also blamed the AIMIM for the delay in metro works in the region.
“Although metro services were started in Hyderabad city in 2017, the metro works stopped at the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Stand (MGBS) due to the objections of the AIMIM. Not only did L&T not agree to the alternative route suggested by the AIMIM, but also expressed its inability to execute the work as the agreement period has expired and the cost of the project also increased,” he stated.
Niranjan further said that even in the all-party meeting organized by the then-state government on December 9, 2014, AIMIM MLAs “put up obstacles to the original proposal of the Old City Metro.”
“Because of the Majlis leaders, the cost from Imiliban to Falakunama has been increased to more than 2000 crores. The Congress Party and other opposition parties and also Citizen forums have raised their concern and staged protests to provide a metro rail facility to Old City,” he added.
The TPCC senior vice president held AIMIM leaders responsible for a delay of 7-8 years for the project and demanded that they apologise to the public.
“People want the chief minister to release the necessary funds for these works without any hindrance and pay special attention to making metro services available to people as soon as possible,” he said.
