If there is a possibility of the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) being extended from Patancheru to Hayatnagar, as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao recently articulated, then what of the Old City where it was originally scheduled to chug in, residents from that area are now wondering.
“The commute from my house in Chandrayangutta to office near J.N.T.U. is long and tiring. It is a 30 km trip. Traveling on a motorcycle is backbreaking because of the traffic and expensive due to fuel cost. At least the commute in a Metro would be quicker. The CM spoke about an extension of the metro line to Hayatnagar, but what of the metro line that was planned for the Old City?” asks Syed Shahabuddin, who works at a pharmaceutical distribution company in Kukatpally.
He points out that in order to cut costs, he travels by shared autos or buses, usually till Ameerpet, and then boards the metro. His office is a stone’s throw from the J.N.T.U. Metro Station.
According to Mr Shahabuddin, there are many people who travel from Hyderabad’s Old City to the newer parts of town every day, either in pursuit of an education or to earn a livelihood. “It is for these people, those who travel from “point-to-point”, meaning their colleges or offices are close to metro stations, that having a metro rail in the Old City is important. It is convenient,” he says.
Mohammed Kaleem is a professional, who is also pursuing a degree in law. The degree, he believes, would greatly help in his work which entails dealing with copyright issues. While he is a resident of Falaknuma, where the HMRL’s Green Line was scheduled to have terminated, his college is in Ameerpet. Forced to either use his two-wheeler or take a bus, Mr. Kaleem says that a metro line here would be a boon for Old City residents.
“It is a good thing that there is talk of extensions of metro lines in other areas. But the Old City should not be excluded from development. I have to either use my two-wheeler, or take the 9YF bus. But the trip can be slow because of frequent traffic jams. Had there been a metro line running in the Old City, it would have made things easier for us,” he opines, adding that bus services within the Old City too are poor.
Others, like Syed Moiz, a techie and a resident of Jahanuma, and has to travel to Kondapur, say that more clarity is required. After changes were suggested to the Green Line’s original alignment, that of skirting the Musi, the metro humming on its tracks and squealing into stations in the Old City remains a dream. “It would be a good thing for Old City’s commuters,” he says.
While the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen had opposed the original alignment, party president Asaduddin Owaisi in the past few years has demanded that government begin work on Metro Rail in the Old City.
