HYDERABAD: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday put to rest speculation over the likelihood of Airport Metro rail and Pharma City projects being scrapped and made it clear that the Congress government is only remodelling them to make the projects cost effective, commuter friendly, reduce Metro rail distance to airport and lay the lines through areas where there may be good patronage.
In other words, the Congress government might not take up Raidurg-Shamshabad Airport Metro line project as planned by the previous BRS government. “Despite L&T representatives advising the previous government that the Raidurg-Shamshabad airport stretch will not be commercially feasible, the then government asked the firm to execute the project to serve the real estate interests of the friends of the previous government,” CM Revanth Redddy told media persons during a chat at the secretariat on Monday.
“Instead, we will take the Metro rail from Mahatma Gandhi Bus Terminal at Gowliguda to Shamshabad airport via the Old City and Chandrayangutta,” the CM said “The government will also extend the Metro from Nagole to Chandrayangutta via LB nagar and Owaisi Hospital and link it at Chandrayangutta to the Metro from the Old City to go towards the airport. If needed, we will also extend the Metro rail from Mindspace junction to the Financial District and from Miyapur to Ramachandrapuram near Patancheru via BHEL,” he added.
“The central government is willing to fund the Metro projects depending upon the commuter feasibility and all the lines that have been proposed would have good patronage, unlike the route proposed by the previous government as not many living in Gachibowli would use Metro rail to go to the airport,” the CM said.
The chief minister also made it clear that the Pharma City project would not be shelved, but the government wants to promote setting up 10 pharma clusters each in 1,000-3,000 acres of land and located near highways within the Outer Ring Road and the Regional Ring Road. Residential colonies and all other facilities would be provided near these clusters so that its employees do not come to the city and travel daily to pharma clusters. “An effort will be made to ensure pollution-free units,” he added.
