A few sections of the Hyderabad Metro Rail across the three corridors could be opened for the public by some time next year (2016) even before construction of the entire 72 km stretch is completed, said Hyderabad Metro Rail Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy on Saturday.
Denying that the alignment changes suggested by the Telangana government could lead to any kind of delay in the project completion on the identified date of July 2017, he said that except “small sections” in two sites, the work was right on the mark on other construction fronts.
L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH) has already submitted technical feasibility reports with regard to alignment changes at Sultan Bazar and near the Legislative Assembly, suggesting a couple of options. The Telangana government has sought to know the financial implication of the changes, he said, adding that the alignment change report for corridor two – Falaknuma to Jubilee Bus Station, would take some more time.
“We have not left old city (where corridor two passes), we will come there soon,” the MD affirmed during his interaction organised by the Hyderabad Union of Journalists (HUJ). He also made it clear that the project construction was very much on schedule and L&T was fully behind it.
The MD also asserted that “not a single heritage structure” or individual building was adversely affected due to the construction and about 1,500 properties were taken through land acquisition with the government spending Rs.625 crore. Another Rs.200 crore is to be spent for the acquisition of properties during road-widening along the corridors.
Metro rail authorities managed to convince groups concerned to allow shift of statues, demolish structures and relocate religious structures in about 60 sites. “Lot many government departments are coordinating with us in expediting the works. Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma is constantly reviewing the works every week,” he said.
The project was also being built to withstand earthquakes even though Hyderabad was in a “safe zone” of “two”. Construction experts within HMR like C.V.R. Rao had insisted upon having seismic resistors atop the piers to ensure the viaduct does not break in case of a quake and L&TMRH too immediately accepted even though it involved extra cost.
All 10 platforms of the Secunderabad railway station and Nampally railway station plus those in the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, Imlibun, would be connected to overhead metro stations through skywalks.
