68% Metro work completed in Hyderabad

Works on 68 per cent of the 72-km elevated Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) project has been completed, while two sections have got safety certification from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS), HMR Managing Director NVS Reddy said today. Reddy made a detailed presentation to the Committee on Public Undertakings (CoPU), Telangana Legislature under the chairmanship of N Divakar Rao, which reviewed the performance of Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd and the project's progress. Explaining the challenges and hurdles faced, which include about 200 court cases, permissions, issues pertaining to sensitive structures etc, and how they were tackled, Reddy indicated that 68 per cent of project was completed, a statement issued by HMR said. Two sections namely Nagole Mettuguda (8 km) of corridor III and Miyapur SR Nagar (12 km) of corridor-I got safety certification from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS), Reddy said. "Out of the total 72 kms, foundations in 59 kms, pillars in 56 kms and viaduct in 47 kms have been so far completed," he added. Lauding the progress in the project, quality of works, safety standards and advanced features of the Hyderabad Metro Rail system, committee members made various suggestions, regarding early completion of Phase-I, selection of routes for Phase-II extension, creation of parking etc. The committee also appreciated the fact that HMR has already won about 20 national and international awards during the construction stage itself. MLCs Karne Prabhakar, V Bhoopal Reddy, Poola Ravinder, MLA Chinta Prabhakar, Special Chief Secretary, (MA&UD) MG Gopal, Legislature Secretary Raja Sadaram and other senior officers of MA&UD Department and HMRL have participated in the meeting, a release said. The 72-kms elevated project, being developed by L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH), will have three corridors and 66 stations. It is world's largest public-private partnership project (PPP) in the sector. The project was initially scheduled to be completed by July 2017, but delays like changes in alignment, land acquisition and other issues have resulted in the project overshooting the deadline and all the three Metro Rail corridors, including the one passing through the old city, would be completed by December 2018, authorities had earlier said.