Rail project delays indicate public transport is not a priority for Telangana government
In November 2021, the ₹14,132 crore Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR), built on public-private partnership (PPP) mode by the concessionaire, L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad), completed four years. It’s going to take some time to see the capital of Telangana next phase of metro rail,
The first phase of the 69.2-km-long metro, passing through three dense corridors of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, was till recently the second largest metro rail network after Delhi. Looks like it is going to lose this tag soon as other cities are either expanding rapidly or building new metro networks.
The public transport system in Hyderabad is unlikely to improve as there is no progress on the proposed second phase of the Metro connecting Gachibowli to Shamshabad International Airport. Three years ago, the state government had announced to accept the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s detailed project report to build over 31 km of ‘fast metros’ at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore. But no action was taken after that.
Another proposal was to connect Nagole and LB Nagar (5 km). This was to complete the first phase of Metro Rail’s circular route connecting all terminal stations. The new line from BHEL-RC Puram to Lakdikapul (21 km) was also promised. Till the outbreak of COVID-19, HMR was carrying over 4 lakh passengers a day and saved an estimated 4.7 crore liters of fuel.
Last year, L&TMRH announced a loss of around ₹1,780 crore due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown and sought ‘appropriate compensation’ in the form of project ‘delay’. These include, for example, the current ruling system demanding an alignment change to protect the heritage near Sultan Bazaar and the Legislative Assembly and the rejection of the Metro in the old city under pressure from the Majlis party. Later, it was completed according to save the original alignment for the old city route. A committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary has been constituted to “look into the issue” of providing compensation to L&TMRH. The Center has also not helped matters by withholding the release of the balance amount of ₹254 crore out of ₹1,458 crore assured for the project.
Read also | Hyderabad Metro is yet to receive the balance amount from the Center
Prior to the metro rail project, the capital region was serviced by a Ground Rail-based Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS), built and run jointly with the Indian Railways connecting Hyderabad-Secunderabad-Falaknuma-Lingampalli . It was launched in 2003. The second phase of the project has been stalled for the last three years as the state government has unnecessarily released its share of around ₹500 crore. As a result, South Central Railway has delayed implementation despite completing most of the work. And therefore, people from the outskirts and surrounding villages are being denied an economical and quick mode of transport to and from the Twin Cities. MMTS ticket starts from ₹5 and Metro fare starts from ₹10. These were the projects undertaken in united Andhra Pradesh.
Read also | HC issues notice to Telangana government regarding MMTS second phase
The Telangana government sought a 32-km extension of the Ghatkesar line (part of Phase 2) to Raigir, three km from Yadadri, where the redevelopment of the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple is nearing completion, a project dear to the chief minister. But the tenders had to be canceled as the government did not release Rs 290 crore out of the estimated cost of Rs 412.26 crore. All this is a sufficient indication that public transport is not a priority of the government despite its announcements. With the public sector TSRTC having its own infrastructure limitations, citizens of the Twin Cities are still forced to rely on private transport.
gitanath.v@thehindu.co.in
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