Metro Rail realignment to cost Rs. 800 Crore

HYDERABAD: The plans of the state government to change the alignment of metro rail corridor-II through the old city of Hyderabad will impose an additional burden of about Rs 800 crore on the government.

The realignment proposed by the Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen will increase the stretch by about 3.2 km. As per the original alignment, Metro Corridor-II stretch was about 15 km, now the proposed alignment would increase the stretch to 18.2 km.

The LTMRHL is constructing the 72-km elevated metro rail, said to be the biggest project in the world in public-private partnership. If the alignment is changed in the old city it will increase the stretch to about 75.2 km.

The Corridor-II, from Jubilee Bus Station in Secunderabad to Falaknuma in the old city, will pass through Darulshifa, Miralam Mandi, Etebar Chowk, Charminar, Shalibanda, Shamsheergunj, Moghalpura, Jangamet and some other densely-populated and historic areas. The project, in its present form, will affect seven temples, 28 mosques and over 1,000 shops and houses.

The MIM has mooted an alternative route along Musi river till Falaknuma. The party, which is dominant in the old city, has been insisting that the metro rail line pass along the banks of the Musi instead of through the congested Darulshifa-Miralam Road. After traversing along the course of the Musi from Salarjung Bridge to Bahadurpura, the line can reach Falaknuma through Bahadarpura and Kalapathar.

In the case of the other two alignments, the Assembly stretch remains the same whereas the Badi Chowdi-Sultan Bazar stretch will decrease by 30 metres. Instead of laying the track in front of the Assembly, it will be reconstructed at the backside of the Assembly over the police officers quarters at Lakadikapul. At Badi Chowdi-Sultan Bazaar, it would be reconstructed from the backside of Koti Women's College to protect the historical market which is more than a century-old.

According to officials, laying a 1-km-long elevated metro rail line costs not less than Rs 200 crore. At that rate, for the additional 3.2 km, the government has to spend about Rs 650 crore on foundations, piers, viaducts, spans, stations, transportation of material and other things. Another Rs 150 crore will needed to acquire private properties, shifting of utilities like water, sewerage and power lines, street lights, and court cases, if any.

Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will hold an all-party meeting of MLAs from Greater Hyderabad in the presence officials from GHMC, Hyderabad Metro Rail and L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited soon to discuss the alignment of three routes.

The cost of the project at the time of signing the concession agreement in 2010 was Rs 14,132 crore. The company said in September this year that the cost had escalated by Rs 3,000 crore due to inflation and other reasons.

Construction of all the three corridors is scheduled to be completed in 2017. The first phase of 8-km-long rail line from Nagole to Mettuguda is likely to become operational on Ugadi in March next year.