Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, on Tuesday, has directed Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) Limited officials to quickly get traffic studies and DPRs (detailed project reports) for the proposed revised Airport Metro alignment via the Old City and from LB Nagar, duly connecting the 5 km Nagole and LB Nagar Metro stations in the process.
HMR officials led by Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy was also instructed to examine the feasibility of laying a part of the metro rail on the Laxmiguda-Jalpally-Mamidipally stretch ‘At Grade’ (road level) in the new alignment, since a 40 ft wide central median without any obstructions is available here so as to reduce the construction cost.
The Chief Minister asked HMDA Commissioner and Municipal Administration & Urban Development Secretary M. Dana Kishore and Principal Secretary in CMO V. Seshadri to identify government lands available along this stretch to undertake Transit Oriented Development (ToD), which can contribute to part funding of Airport Metro project and encourage development of Old City and its environs.
Mr. Revanth Reddy held a fresh review meeting on the proposed new metro rail alignment after his government had decided to put “on hold” the earlier government’s plan to build the Airport Metro project from Raidurg (31 km; ₹6,250 crore) at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat with top officials.
The CM observed that the proposed new alignment through the Old City will result in shorter distance and thus saving in cost, apart from catering to several parts of the city. He offered to personally inspect and interact with the public representatives concerned to take up the proposed road widening to 100 ft from Darulshifa junction to Shalibanda junction and onto Falaknuma for the project so that none of the identified 103 religious, heritage and other sensitive structures are impacted.
The HMR team was also tasked with the preparation of extensions of the existing metro rail corridors to nearby destinations to facilitate growth of the city in all directions on five routes.
HMDA and HMRL was told to expedite the preparation of these five route plans in an integrated manner and draft a letter from him to Union Minister for Ministry of Urban Development and Housing Hardeep Singh Puri in the next few days for funding and permissions.
Apart from these, Mr. Kishore and Mr. Reddy have been directed to incorporate metro rail connectivity in the Musi river front East-West corridor from Taramatipet to Narsingi via Nagole and MGBS (40 km), plan for metro rail connectivity from the airport area to Kandukur on Srisailam highway where a mega township can be created on the lands already acquired for the Pharma city and expansion from JBS metro station to Shameerpet as well as from Paradise metro station to Kandlakoya/Medchal in phase three.
Senior officials present were asked to prepare a comprehensive master plan to cater to the fast growing needs of Hyderabad city and to plan dispersed growth hubs all along the Outer Ring Road. Chief secretary A. Santhi Kumari, IG Intelligence B. Shivadhar, CMO Secretary Mr. Shahnawaz Qasim were also present during the meeting.
