Larsen & Toubro Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (L&THMRL) has said that the country's largest pre-cast segments construction yard was being put up in the Nagole depot for the Hyderabad metro rail project and even a mock exercise was undertaken recently to test for preparedness.
“Our world class engineers and designers have been working “day and night” for the last one year. We have already spent Rs.500 crore. But, because there is no digging on the road you can't say work is not happening,” exclaimed Managing Director V.B. Gadgil on Wednesday.
Addressing a discussion on the project organised by ‘Friends Of Same Wave Length' (FOSWL) at FAPCCI, he pointed out that the alignments for Line one (L.B.Nagar to Miyapur) and Line three (Nagole to Shilparamam) have been fixed so are the station locations and engineering designs.
“The project has not come to us on a platter. It is serious business for us. We are going to invest upto Rs.14,000 crore which is the largest project taken up in a single city. We are extremely confident of completing the project on time,” he explained.
Obstacles cleared
Mr. Gadgil said that he along with Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd. Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy were taking care to see that the obstacles being faced by the Mumbai and Chennai metros in terms of shift of underground utilities does not happen here. Eight crossings of the railway line were cleared by the authorities in record time, he said.
Earlier, Mr. Reddy made a presentation on the project where he also clarified that MMTS and RTC services do not come under the competing clause of the metro project. He also decried misinformation being spread in some quarters about the project features. He reiterated: It would be least polluting and energy efficient. Best relief & rehabilitation package comprising of new shopping complexes and Rs. 45, 000 to Rs.50,000 per sq.yard compensation. No heritage structure was being touched, metro rail would pass 50 feet away from nine monuments, overhead stations were designed to fit into 100 ft roads and widening was for smooth traffic flow during construction. Former telecom official T.H. Chowdhary moderated the discussion.
