Civil society groups review Metro routes

Hyderabad: About 30 members from different civil society groups visited the recently inaugurated routes of the Hyderabad Metro Rail on June 12. They will be submitting a report to the Managing Director of HMRL shortly. The report will contain the observations and suggestions for the improvement of the Metro Rail.

The group was led by Chairman of Forum for a Better Hyderabad Veda Kumar Manikonda. Some of those present were MH Rao, P Narahari, Ashwaq, Manjula and G Venu Gopal, among other eminent social activists, writers and artists.

They began their journey at LB Nagar Metro Station at 11:30 am and travelled along Line 1 of the Metro to MGBS Metro Station. At MGBS, they made a halt to inspect the Musi River and the surrounding areas. They continued their journey from MGBS to Ameerpet, where they changed trains to travel along the newest stretch of the rail network to Hi-Tech City.

During the journey, Veda Kumar explained the history and significance of each station and area that they passed. The experts also discussed the technology used, the amenities provided and the ticketing system of the Hyderabad Metro Rail. It was also suggested that coordination with other public transport systems, such as MMTS needs to be improved to provide last-mile connectivity. Moreover, the possibility of expanding parking provisions was also discussed.

Veda Kumar said that a report would be prepared by the forum. It contains observations and suggestions for the improvement of the Metro Rail, which will be submitted to the Managing Director of HMRL. The forum has previously travelled along different routes of the Metro and provided recommendations to improve the experience of commuters to the authorities.

He appreciated that the Metro network was being used to full capacity even during the afternoon hours, thereby reducing vehicular pollution and providing alternative means of transportation to commuters. The visit finally came to a conclusion at 3.00 pm, with members of the group praising the work that HMRL in making transportation easy and convenient for travellers.