Hyderabad: The construction of modern bus shelters has created a rift between the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL). While the metro authorities claim that the construction of bus shelters will hinder the free movement of pedestrians and will create traffic congestion at several locations, the civic body claims that bus shelters are required to facilitate travel for bus passengers.
The GHMC is to construct 826 modern bus shelters and refurbish old ones under a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative.
In May 2018, the civic body had announced that the work would be completed in six months. But as yet bids for only three of the four packages have been finalised with private developers on design, build, finance, operation and transfer (DBFOT) basis.
The corporation has also entered into an agreement for a period of 15 years with private advertising agencies — Prakash Ads and Uni Ads.
GHMC officials claim that HMRL has a different plan. A senior GHMC official, on condition of anonymity, said that HMRL has already demolished bus shelters near Madhapur police station, CCMB in Hubsiguda, Peddamma temple in Jubilee Hills, Kavuri Hills and Serilingampally.
HMRL has also demolished 50 bus shelters in LB Nagar-Miyapur, Nagole Hitec city, and JBS-MGBS stretches. The official said the HMRL authorities have raised some objections to constructing another 100 bus stops along metro routes.
The GHMC official further said that HMRL authorities have an order from the state government permitting them to construct bus shelters in metro corridors. He claims HMRL is eyeing the advertising revenue from the bus shelters.
He stressed that the locations were identified only after conducting a comprehensive survey, and that the bus shelters identified by the corporation will cater to the needs of about 37 lakh commuters.
“I do not know how differently bus shelters will be constructed by HMRL by razing those built by GHMC. The HMRL is only eyeing the revenue, but not thinking about the commuters,” the GHMC official said.
Asked to comment on the controversy, HMRL MD N.V.S. Reddy said, “We are not demolishing any bus shelters constructed by GHMC. On the world class sidewalks and footpaths built by HMRL near metro stations, we are erecting high quality and aesthetic bus shelters with cantilever design. Wherever GHMC was erecting bus shelters on the sidewalks developed by us, we have requested them to either follow cantilever design or place them slightly back, so that pedestrians have space to walk in front of the bus shelters. This is being discussed at higher levels to see that pedestrians and bus users get good facilities.”
