The construction major Larsen and Toubro, which has been executing the ₹14,132-crore Hyderabad metro rail project, has sought extension of the deadline. The matter is under the active consideration of the Telangana government. The five-year deadline for completion of the 72-km-long project across three corridors ends on July 31.
“The State government will decide on the extension of deadline as per the terms of the concession agreement,” NVS Reddy, Managing Director of Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL), said.
He said the project crossed a number of hurdles and more than 3,000 properties were acquired to provide right of way. Two of the three corridors will be ready by the end of the year.
Of the 72-km long elevated metro stretch across three corridors, 66 km across three stretches is expected to be completed by next year. The remaining 6-km stretch in the Old City segment is likely to prolong as it is struck on alignment issues.
Speaking at Metro Bhavan, Reddy said: “Thus far, more than ₹14,000 crore has been invested on the project. While L&T invested more than ₹12,000 crore, the State government has pitched in with investments of over ₹2,100 crore for support infrastructure, land and other amenities.”
Describing the public-private partnership (PPP) metro rail as urban rejuvenation project, he said the stage is now set for rapid development. Even the critical work on road over bridges will be completed in a couple of months.
Two completed segments of the metro project are ready for commissioning after trial runs and securing necessary clearances. The State government has to take a final call on the project’s commissioning, he said.
While the project will have 64 metro stations, 32 stations will have buildings or parking spaces. Of them, 17 will be developed by L&T and the rest by HMRL.
Electric Vehicles “Like any other metro project, we will encourage people to step out of the house and use public transport. This will discourage the use of personal vehicles to commute to the station. The last-mile connectivity will be provided with electric vehicles and people will be encouraged to use bicycles,” he said.
“We are planning to set up 400 bike stations and offer 10,000 bicycles for people to use in the last mile. With the State planning a Single Transport Authority, we are keen to encourage EVs for last mile transport,” he said.
Meanwhile,discussions are on for extension of metro rail network up to the Hyderabad airport and other sections.
“The metro will have multi-modal connectivity to integrate all metro rail stations with existing rail terminals, MMTS (multi modal transport system), bus depots and merry-go-round feeder buses between rail stations and colonies on the same ticket,” he said.