The Telangana government and its special purpose vehicle overseeing the metro rail project, Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR), have finally decided to officially inform the L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH) on Wednesday about the alignment changes required in three sites across the two of the three corridors where the metro rail is being built.
This was decided at a meeting held by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Majlis leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, senior government and metro rail officials on Tuesday, official sources said. The government is seeking alignment changes at Sultan Bazar and also from Darulshifa onwards on Corridor Two (Jubilee Bus Station to Falaknuma) and at Legislative Assembly near Martyr’s Memorial on Corridor One – L.B.Nagar-Miyapur.
Mr. Rao made it clear at the meeting that his government has firmly resolved to ensure that no religious or heritage structure should get affected due to the project, hence the alignments were suggested to the concessionaire L&TMRH when L&T chairman A.M. Naik met him recently.
To protect Sultan Bazar, the alignment is proposed to be taken towards Badechowdi, near Koti Women’s College and onwards to Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) at Imlibun. Similarly, the metro line is to be taken behind the Assembly building from the DGP offices and onward to the adjacent existing railway tracks, Public Gardens, Telugu University gate and onto the Nampally road, it was explained.
Mr. Owaisi gave a note suggesting the change in alignment in the old city while pointing out that, otherwise seven temples, 28 mosques and about 1,000 structures would get affected. The MIM has been mooting that the metro rail line be taken from behind the High Court adjacent to the Musi river bed onwards to Falaknuma.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s office also released excerpts of a letter written by Mr. Naik to Mr. Rao where he recalled the meeting they had and reiterated his firm was ready to play a vital role in sectors like power and infrastructure for development of Telangana.
