He cited the example of Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase II project, where the cost was reduced from Rs 85,000 crore to Rs 65,000 crore after a detailed review, while also expanding the route network.
HYDERABAD: The Centre is thoroughly vetting the Telangana government’s proposal for Phase II of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project and the process could take some time, said state BJP chief and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy. Speaking informally with journalists at the BJP state office on Tuesday, the minister informed that the process would take time as the Centre needed to evaluate multiple parameters, including project cost.
He cited the example of Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase II project, where the cost was reduced from Rs 85,000 crore to Rs 65,000 crore after a detailed review, while also expanding the route network. “Similarly, the proposal from Telangana will undergo a comprehensive evaluation. It is a long process,” he said when asked about the timeline for the Centre’s approval.
On the protests against the Waqf Act, Kishan Reddy blamed the AIMIM for spreading misinformation among Muslims. He alleged that some land-grabbers were inciting the community with false claims that the legislation was against Islam. “Waqf has nothing to do with masjid affairs. The government will not take over a single inch of Waqf land,” he said.
The minister asserted that the amended Act was intended to protect Waqf land from encroachment and ensure they benefit poorer sections of the Muslim community through improved access to health and education. “Tthousands of acres of Waqf lands across the country yield only `160 crore annually. Our goal is to generate thousands of crores in the near future through better utilisation,” he explained.
Kishan Reddy criticised the BRS and Congress for allegedly helping AIMIM expand its influence beyond the Old City into Hyderabad and Secunderabad. He claimed that people from other faiths in 90 per cent of the Old City’s bastis had sold their properties and moved out. He asserted that the upcoming GHMC elections would largely be a contest between the BJP and the AIMIM. While the Congress, he said, would “make a lot of noise” as the ruling party, it might turn into a three-cornered contest, with BRS having some presence in the state capital.
The minister clarified that the BJP opposed the auction of open government land but supported land acquisition for infrastructure projects. He accused the state government of violating environmental laws. “They did not conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment and crazily destroyed trees in the middle of the night using floodlights,” he alleged with reference to the Kancha Gachibowli controversy.
He accused the Congress government of following the same pattern as the previous BRS government — running the state by selling government lands, relying on liquor revenue and taking fresh loans.
When asked about the controversy over AI-generated images posted in connection with Kancha Gachibowli land, Kishan Reddy denied deleting or reposting any such images. “I did not claim those images were of Kancha Gachibowli. I am ready to face any FIR,” he said. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also referred to the use of bulldozers to fell trees overnight, without regard for wildlife destruction. “If the state wants to promote the IT/ITES sector, let them allot land elsewhere, not at the cost of forest and wildlife,” he stated.
Responding to questions about Goshamahal MLA T. Raja Singh’s public criticism of the party, Kishan Reddy said it was an internal issue that would be resolved within the party. Kishan Reddy also disclosed that the BJP would launch a series of programmes as part of its minority outreach initiative starting April 17.
