Metro will chug in Old City, but needs some time: KTR

Hyderabad: Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao on Monday said that the Metro Rail works could not be taken up in the Old City because of the pandemic and this has resulted in huge loss to the L&T company, which has approached the government for a soft loan.

Replying to a query on Old City's development in the Assembly, the Minister reiterated that the government was for metro rail in the Old City and it was just a 5.5 km stretch of works.

"The entire economics of Metro went haywire and it is in serious losses. They approached the government for a soft loan. The Chief Minister has formed a committee of which I am the chairman. We will discuss and soon a decision will be taken. We are committed and we will ensure it happens. Please have confidence in us. It will benefit the old and the new city," said Rao, promising to take the issue of releasing funds to MMTS-II to the CM's notice.

The Minister further informed that the government had spent Rs 14,887 crore, including Rs 9,899 crore, through the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Rs 3,794 crore through the Water Board on Old City's development. It spent 400 times more than the Congress government which had spent Rs 3,934 crore during its 10-year rule, he said, listing the works going on at different places in the Old City, including SRDP, SNDP, RoBs, flyovers and CRMP roads.

The Minister said that road widening works were taken up on a largescale by the government. For land acquisition alone, Rs 327.65 crore were spent. This year Rs 166 crore was allocated. On the Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP), he stated that the government wants to develop areas near Charminar on the lines of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The government has called for a design competition for bridge designs. After it gets completed, the new bridges on the Musi would be taken up. Around 14 new bridges are being proposed on the river, he said. There is a proposal to convert the Sardar Mahal into a museum or a tourist place and have multi-level parking at Khilwat. The CPP, Pathargatti, Sardar Mahal and Mir Alam works would be given to the Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority.

The Minister said the government was trying for the World Heritage Site tag for the Seven Tombs, Deccan Park Pedestrianisation and later for Charminar. Replying to another question, he said soon he would hold a meeting with the city MLAs once in two months.