KTR urges Centre to fund metro rail phase-2, slew of other Hyderabad’s urban infra projects

NEW DELHI: On day two of his visit to New Delhi, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development KT Rama Rao (KTR) called on Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, at his residence on Saturday and appealed to him to extend financial assistance to several urban development projects being undertaken by the Telangana government including phase-II of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project.

Accompanied by Members of Parliament G Ranjith Reddy, Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, and Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar, the Minister submitted eight letters and detailed project reports and financial estimates of the proposed and ongoing projects. The minister specifically mentioned the share required from the Union Government for each one of the projects meant to ease pressure on the burgeoning urban agglomeration.

KTR wanted approval and financial assistance from the Centre for the proposed Hyderabad Metro Rail Project phase-II from BHEL to Lakdikapul covering 26 kilometers and an extension of corridor-3 of phase-I, from Nagole to LB Nagar of 5 km.

The Minister also demanded that the Centre extend NREGS-like schemes to the urban poor for providing employment guarantee, in urban areas.

Seeking Rs 800 crore, for the construction of missing link corridors in Hyderabad Urban Agglomerate (HUA), KTR said that the Telangana Government had so far completed 22 missing links, while 17 links were under different stages of development. “We are planning to take up 104 additional corridors including the extension of missing link connectivity to ORR,” he said pegging the overall expenditure at Rs 2,400 crore. He sought one-third of the expenditure from the Union Government.

KTR’s wish list included a Rs 400-crore Solid Waste Management project in the GHMC area. He wanted the Union Government to take up the project under the Swachh Bharat Mission. The Telangana Government also demanded Rs 450 crore (15 percent of project cost) assistance from the centre for the proposed Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS).

KTR informed the minister that the HMWS&SB was developing a sewer network infrastructure for Rs 3722.82 and sought Rs 744.56 crore financial assistance for developing liquid waste collection at Hyderabad Urban Agglomerate.

While demanding that the centre help Telangana set up a Sanitation Innovation Hub in Hyderabad, he asked for Rs 750 crore for the implementation of several citizen-centric reforms. KTR also invited the Union Minister to visit the State to personally witness projects implemented by the Telangana government such as 2BHK houses, SRDP link roads, and solid and liquid management initiatives.

KTR also met the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal, and appealed to him to allot an additional 20 lakh metric tonnes of parboiled rice target for Telangana for Rabi season 2022-23.