Hyderabad: Municipal Administration and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao said on Tuesday that Union defence minister Arun Jaitley had agreed in principle to allot 100 acres of defence land in the city for developing infrastructure. Mr Rao met the defence minister in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The minister also told Mr Jaitley that the state government had proposed to allot alternative land for defence purpose. Mr Jaitley, however, said he will take a final call soon.
Earlier, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had asked the then defence minister, Manohar Parrikar, to allot Bison Polo Grounds for the construction of the Secretariat. However, the proposal was rejected.
Land needed for widening of NH-44
Former chief secretary and chief advisor to the government, Rajiv Sharma, who was present at the meeting, told this newspaper that Arun Jaitley had indeed told them that he will clear the necessary instructions in this regard very soon.
Mr Sharma said defence land is required for widening National Highway 44 (Varanasi-Kanyakumari) on the outskirts of the city, for construction of major flyovers from Patney circle to Kompally (National Highway 44) and from Jubilee Bus stand to Tumkunta checkpost (Rajiv Rahadari), along with construction of alternative roads since roads have been closed by the defence authorities in Secunderabad Cantonment.
