Hyderabad: Metro Rail operations from Nagole to Mettuguda will start on June 2, State Formation Day. But with less than 45 days to go, officials from L&T say they still haven’t received official communication from the state government.
The stretch is ready in terms of station areas, metro rail testing, and feasibility of tracks. The operational staff too have been training for the past year.
But the state government still has to provide for essentials such as police personnel, parking and also connectivity to the periphery areas once the metro rail starts. A senior government officer said, “The railway clearance certificate procedure can be completed by June but what is important to note is that considerable work is still pending on this stretch.
“There has been no finalisation done in terms of the aspect of connectivity which is very important for the success of the project. ”
Additionally, according to sources, recruitment of police personnel for Metro Rail has not yet started. Also, once recruited, they will need to be trained. An official added, “The security checks which have been placed at the concourse level and also at the station level will require proper affiliation. Enabling the police and security personnel with the existing systems, which have been placed and also guiding the passengers will be the first priority. Hence apart from safety and security, the police will have to carry out the additional role of helping people understand the Metro Rail system which is going to be new for them.”
At the station level, the police, along with the station personnel, will ensure that there are no passengers left out during the opening and closing of train doors.
An official said, “This is one of the prime concerns as the system is completely automatic and people will take some time to understand the process. Also, in India people jump tracks from one end to the other and that can’t be allowed here. For this reason, the station area will have to be heavily manned by cops to avoid these untoward incidents.”
Given these considerations, the government has to first ensure the appointed staff is properly trained and there are trial drills. According to government sources, there has been a delay in appointments as the police department has been asking for a share in the revenue, which according to the concessionaire agreement, has to be provided by the government.
