Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday asked the Metro Rail authorities to ensure that the Metro serviced not only city dwellers, but also those arriving from other parts of the state, country and abroad by rail, bus and air.
Mr Rao instructed Metro Rail officials to provide train services from the Hyderabad international airport at Shamshabad to other parts of the city for the benefit of air travellers, at Secunderabad and Nampally railway stations besides Jubilee and Imbliban bus depots.
“The earlier government forgot Shamshabad airport when it designed the Metro Rail project. Links have to be provided to the airport from Falaknuma and Rayadurg. A Metro link should also be considered from LB Nagar to Chandrayangutta,” he remarked.
“Metro Rail connections should be in such a way that they are useful not only to locals, but also those arriving by air, train and bus from other parts of the country. The Metro links should benefit all sections of commuters,” he told Metro Rail officials.
The CM met Metro Rail officials to review the ongoing works. City ministers Nayani Narasimha Reddy, T. Padma Rao, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, P. Mahender Reddy, chief secretary Rajiv Sharma, Metro Rail chairman N.V.S. Reddy, L&T CEO V.B. Gadgil, GHMC commissioner Somesh Kumar, principal secretary to the CM Narsing Rao, city police commissioner Mahender Reddy and other senior officials were present.
Expressing satisfaction at the pace of the Metro Rail works, the Chief Minister asked officials to keep up the tempo and complete the works as per schedule. The Metro Rail project, which began in 2012, is slated to be complete by April 2017.
Out of the total 72 km network, so far a 19 km stretch has been completed. The Nagole-Mettuguda 8 km line and Miyapur-SR Nagar 11 km line is complete and trail runs have been successful, officials informed the CM.
Mr Rao, meanwhile, agreed to provide power at subsidised rates for the Metro Rail, adding that the government would review the pace of work every week. He also cleared several files pertaining to the project.
The Telangana government has earmarked Rs 2000 crore for the project so far. “The government will take up land acquisition, rehabilitation and widening of roads. We have also got permission from the defence minister for one-and-half km network passing through defence lands that had been pending since three years,” Mr Rao informed the officials. He also asked Metro Rail officials to adopt the Delhi Metro project security pattern in Hyderabad.
