Telangana CM puts Hyderabad Airport Metro on hold, orders work on alternate routes
The previous BRS government planned a 31-km Airport Express Metro corridor connecting Raidurg Metro station in Madhapur and RGI Airport in Shamshabad via outer ring road at an estimated cost of ₹6,250 crore
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has put on hold the ongoing Hyderabad Airport Metro plan and has instructed officials to work on alternate routes that are cost-effective.
Asking why L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Ltd (LTMRHL) got several benefits despite the non-completion of a project in Hyderabad, he ordered officials to investigate the matter.
The previous government planned a 31-km Airport Express Metro corridor connecting Raidurg Metro station in Madhapur and RGI Airport in Shamshabad via outer ring road (ORR) at an estimated cost of ₹6,250 crore. This was to be a joint venture between Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL), Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corp (TSIIC).
On Wednesday, after a detailed review, Reddy asked how the alignment was fixed along the ORR where the scope for development was limited due to construction restrictions.
Pharma city
He said priority should have been given to taking the Airport Metro alignment through the Old City from MGBS-Falaknuma corridor via Chandrayangutta and from L B Nagar to serve a vast majority of the people.
The chief minister asked officials to prepare cost-effective alternatives.
Reddy said Hyderabad will have to be developed and expanded equally in all directions by creating satellite townships around ORR.
He also called for developing a new township in the vast land area acquired for a Hyderabad Pharma City that was planned by the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.
He said Pharma City should not be near Hyderabad. He directed the HMRL to plan for metro rail connectivity to this mega township from the airport via Tukkuguda on Srisailam Road.
The chief minister also sought a new master plan for the city.
He advised officers to explore Hyderabad’s potential to be a logistics and medical hub between the West, the Gulf countries and Southeast Asia. He said a dry port should be planned as Telangana was a landlocked state.