Hyderabad metro rail project will be mainly built on government land and there will be minimal acquisition of private properties across the three dense-traffic corridors, reiterated HMR Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy on Wednesday.
“We will take some portions of land only under unavoidable circumstances wherever more space is needed for parking and circulating at 26 of the elevated metro stations,” he said after a pre-bid conference with the six shortlisted firms for the post of Independent Engineer (IE).
Of the 269 acres required for the project, 65 acres is government land and of the other identified 204 acres of private land, 104 acres in Miyapur was in the court as it was classified as ‘enemy property'. HMR has offered to pay the money to the court for the land irrespective of whoever is identified as the property owner.
Negotiations were also on with individual farmers for 100 acres of land at Nagole so that the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) can make plots of 1,000 sq.yards each. The project requires 100-metre-wide roads all through, he maintained. Land acquisition current status was 90 per cent for line one, 40 per cent for line two and 80 per cent for line three.
Earlier at the technical meeting, IE bidders were informed about salient features of the project. The IE is to be selected from the six firms - Mott MacDonald (Mumbai); AECOM Asia (Hong Kong), Aarvee Associates; Scott Wilson (UK), Scott Wilson India; Parsons Brinckerhoff, UMTC; ITALFERR sPA (Italy), Sai Consulting Engineers & Louis Berger.
These firms will have to indicate the 21 rail, telecom, engineering, safety experts who will work on the project for the next five years to ensure the project is built as per the prescribed specifications, performance criteria and safety standards.
The IE will monitor construction and resolution of disputes, if any, between HMR and L&T, the concessionaire. Both will equally share the IE cost of about Rs. 80 crore.
