Metro-airport link on fast track

Hyderabad: The state government has formed a special purpose vehicle (SPV) ‘Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited’ as part of the Hyderabad Airport Express Metro Connectivity Project. The SPV would be jointly promoted by Hyderabad Metro Rail with 51 per cent share and HMDA with 49 per cent share.

The objective of the SPV is to plan, build, maintain, operate, design, develop, run, facilitate, own, lease or licence Metro Rail and other transit connectivity to airport in Hyderabad. The government felt that the airport corridor from Biodiversity Park to Shamshabad airport with an extension of Corridor-III from Raidurg to Biodiversity Park (30.7 km) is an immediate priority as Metro connectivity to airport would significantly boost the image of Hyderabad as a global destination and it has the potential to make Hyderabad a preferred destination.

The officials said that the HMR has entrusted preparation of preliminary project report and detailed project report (DPR) for phase-II (A) to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (DMRCL) which it had done. The HMR had proposed to develop townships near the new Metro stations enroute the airport express corridor.

Chief Secretary S K Joshi has been appointed as chairman and HMR MD N V S Reddy as managing director of Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited (HAML). The other directors are: Finance Principal Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao, Roads & Buildings Principal Secretary Sunil Sharma, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department Arvind Kumar, IT Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan and HMDA commissioner T Chiranjeevulu.

The HMR MD would apply for the company names among these three alternative names – Hyderabad Mass Transit Limited, Hyderabad, Airport Metro Connectivity Limited or Hyderabad Airport Transit Limited. The company would be incorporated with an authorised share capital of Rs 100 lakh.