Centre to review plans for change in Metro Rail
Hyderabad: The Union Finance ministry is likely to take a call on the proposed changes being insisted by the State government to the alignment of a few corridors in the Hyderabad Metro Rail during a meeting in Delhi with Metro rail authorities on July 25.
The changes have been advised by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who insisted on taking the Metro underground near the Assembly and other historical places in the city. He also wanted the HMR authorities to change the alignment at Sultan Bazar, the oldest markets in the city.
By promoting Public Private Partnership (PPP) in various sectors the Centre wants the project to be completed as per the earlier schedule. The FM has called for a meeting on July 25 to review the works of Metro Rail in Hyderabad.
According to sources, the HMR authorities are busy in preparing their report on whether it would be feasible to change the alignment. The HMR covers a distance of 72 km in three corridors and is being taken up at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore and aimed at completing by 2017. The first corridor is expected to be completed by March 2015.
With the CM advocating a change in the alignment, the Metro Rail officials are talking of a steep rise in the cost of the project. The HMR MD, N V S Reddy, confirmed that he was attending a meeting convened by the FM on July 25.
He said that the meeting was a routine one and the progress on the project would be discussed. Reddy said that the Central government would not interfere in alignment matters.
Regarding media reports on scrapping of works in Metro corridor-II, Reddy said 'If at all there is such a proposal, we will have talked to players in the project. But we have not done so.' He termed reports on Hyderabad metro rail as mere speculation and dismissed them as rumours.
News Posted: 18 July, 2014
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