The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Options for Metro Rail put forward

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Saturday, May 31, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Options for Metro Rail put forward

500 traders at Chikkadpally will be displaced
5,000 commercial, 2,000 residential units will be gone

HYDERABAD: The proposed metro rail project in twin cities was hustled through in haste without exploring alternative urban mass road transport systems. Vital factors like displacement, demolition of thousands of commercial and residential buildings and defacement of heritage structures were not taken into account while pushing the project.

These and several other objections and arguments were made by Dr. C. Ramachandraiah of Citizens for a Better Public Transport in Hyderabad, while delivering a talk on the ‘Proposed Metro Rail Project’, on Friday organised by Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) at its premises. Mr. Ramachandraiah said that strengthening the existing MMTS system, a Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) of 150 kilometre stretch, internal transit hubs at dense traffic areas are logical alternatives to metro rail. A new railway line connecting Nampally-Malakpet and L.B. Nagar-Hayatnagar stretches is also needed, he added.

“About 5,000 commercial and 2,000 residential buildings would be demolished. Sultanbazar would be lost completely and over 500 traders at Chikkadpally would be displaced. Without taking the general public into confidence on the issue of demolition and compensation, the authorities are on the verge of finalising tenders,” he said. Mr. Ramachandraiah informed that metro rail officials have been cagey about disclosing vital information related to the project including the concessions offered to the companies which would execute the project. Local transport experts from JNTU and NIT Warangal were also not consulted while planning the project, he informed. Hyderabad Metro Rail’s Chief Engineer Md. Ziauddin, countered the arguments pointing out that Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had done the project report for Hyderabad Metro Rail. It had vast experience of preparing feasibility plans in Mumbai, Kochi, Bangalore and Delhi. He argued that the BRTS would be ineffective in city because of lack of adequate road space and number of turns and bylanes opening onto the main road. He said all the factors and alternative modes of transport were taken into consideration by the DMRC before finalising the HMR project.

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