Warangal:Will slew of promises ever be grounded?

Warangal: Neo Metro Rail, Kakatiya Mega Textile Park, the revival of Mamnoor Airport etc rank foremost among the array of promises made by the government for which the Warangalites have been waiting to see them happen.

A peek into the past six years reveals that many developmental projects that projected to catapult Warangal to elite group of top cities in the country are either incomplete or making no headway.

The works launched with the Central government's funding such as Smart City Mission, Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) are also progressing at a snail's pace. Although the authorities claim that Jain Site on Hanumadgiri hillock is ready for inauguration, the work on much-touted Bhadrakali Lake Foreshore Development Project, funded by the HRIDAY, continue to drag on.

Even though the MA&UD Minister K T Rama Rao, while approving the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA) Master Plan-2041 recently, wanted the works of inner ring road, 3,000 double bedroom houses, Jayashankar Ekasila Park, Kaloji Kalakshetram etc, the major hurdle before the administration would be paucity of funds. The State government which allocated Rs 10,000 crore for the Hyderabad development didn't give anything to Warangal in the recent budget. In fact, the government did not allocate Rs 300 crore special grant, which it promised to provide for the exclusive development of Warangal, for the last two years.

The other projects - Neo Metro Rail, Kakatiya Mega Textile Park, revival of Mamnoor Airport etc – which KTR assured also need a huge fund allocation. It may be mentioned here that there was no mention of funds for these projects in the budget.

Neo Metro Rail/Metro Rail: Initial projection says that the Metro Neo Rail and rubber-tyre rail project likely to cost Rs 1,200 crore for a 12-kilometer stretch – covering main junctions between Warangal and Kazipet railway stations.

This apart, KTR also wanted the officials to prepare another proposal similar to that of Hyderabad Metro Rail mode. The government has already authorised the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the Neo Metro.

Kakatiya Mega Textile Park: "The textile park will fill the gap left behind by the closure of Azam Jahi Mills. It will also unite the thousands of workers who migrated to Maharashtra and Gujarat with their near and dear," the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said, laying the foundation for the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park, which is touted as fibre-to-fabric integrated textile cluster, in Sangem mandal. Since then it's been almost three years, however, the much-hyped project which targeted to generate direct and indirect employment to more than 10,000 people is yet to get off.

The only development in the recent past was that the Youngone Corporation of Korea which acquired 290 acres in the park, announced to set up manufacturing units of synthetic jackets, boots, track suits and other apparel used in trekking with an investment of nearly Rs 1,000 crore.

Revival of Mamnoor Airport: Even though the government reiterated the resumption of air services time and again, it remained an unfulfilled dream for the denizens. But in the wake of Information Technology (IT) industry expanding its wings in Warangal, especially after the arrival of IT majors like Tech Mahindra and Cyient, it has become an imperative need to reestablish the air connectivity to other cities. This apart, the air connectivity is certain to boost tourism in the district. This apart, Warangal which has prestigious institutions like NIT, Kakatiya University, KNR University of Health Sciences and Kakatiya Medical College etc. is known as the educational hub.

The major hurdle before the government is land acquisition. According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the airstrip requires at least 1,200 acres. As of now, the extent of the airstrip is little over 700 acres. The district administration had already identified nearly 439 acres near Nakkalapally village abutting to the existing airstrip to fulfil the requirement of the AAI.

The list of pending projects: Jayashankar Ekasila Park, Kaloji Kalakshetram, Bhadrakali Lakeshore Promenade, Fathima Nagar second ROB, construction of 3,000 double bedroom houses (900 houses are ready for occupation), land acquisition for POH, Shilparamam, Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, reconstruction of Kalyana Mandapam of the 1,000 Pillars Temple etc.