20 police quarters to go for Metro

Though the Metro route between Ravindra Bharathi and Public Gardens does not directly affect the memorial or the Assembly building, it passes very near to the sites, which the Chief Minister has been opposing.

However, nearly 20 police quarters including Telangana DGP’s official residence in Saifabad, have to be demolished to enable realignment. L&T has already stopped ongoing works near heritage areas and has even halted Metro station construction work in Lakdikapul in the wake of the realignment decision.

L&T officials have even removed barricades from the middle of the road in these areas.

Officials are busy working out the realignment route and estimated that nearly 50 buildings have to be demolished, which include about 20 police quarters and DGP’s official residence.

According to the preliminary realignment design, to avoid Sultan Bazaar areas, the Metro will now pass from the rear of Koti Women’s College to Tilak Park, then go left at Bata junction and move toward Kacheguda.

Similarly, near the Assembly, the Metro will now pass from the rear of Telugu University, parallel to SCR railway track from Lalitha Kala Thoranam to Lakdikapul via the police quarters. Officials project that the realignment would lead to delay in completion of the project by six months along the stage-V stretch, from SR Nagar to LB Nagar, and corridor-II from Jubilee Bus Station to Falaknuma against the original deadline of August 2016, and January 2017 respectively.

The realignment would also force officials to change Metro stations at the Assembly and Sultan Bazaar. The new stations may be built at Nampally and Koti. However, the actual realignment work would begin only after the changed route proposals get clearance from the Chief Minister.