The Hyderabad Metro Rail has expressed its commitment to complete the metro rail project in Hyderabad “expeditiously” as per schedule and said the progress so far was the fastest in any metro project in the country despite various challenges met during execution.
The chief executive officer and managing director of L & T Metro Rail, Hyderabad V.B. Gadgil told media persons after a meeting with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma that a section of the press on Wednesday had distorted the correspondence between the project concessionaire and the State government which threatened to damage the prestigious project.
He said the company will continue the project as it was “viable as of now” but the viability had to be checked continuously. The company also did not get any official communication from the government to change the alignment as reported in the press. However, the company stopped works at Sultan Bazar and Assembly where the government was said to have expressed its reservations in view of the location of heritage structures.
Mr. Gadgil admitted there were right of way issues in the project but they could be resolved or alternatives looked at.
He said the letter which was reproduced by the press on Wednesday was part of a huge correspondence with the government since February last. The termination of the project due to cost escalation which was highlighted by the newspapers was only a “gesture” and not final.
The report was published selectively and out of context. The letter was a sequel to an earlier correspondence with the previous government in February.
