Plan for Hyderabad metro alignment changes

Hyderabad, The work relating to technical feasibility of change of alignment on two corridors of Hyderabad metro rail project, as proposed by the Telangana government, will be completed in a month, said officials of Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited.

Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd managing director N.V.S. Reddy said after establishing technical feasibility and after working out the implications, a report will be submitted to the government and after the government takes a decision, it will be conveyed to the concessionaire - L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Ltd.

He told reporters that some sections of Telangana society have some concerns and the same were conveyed to them by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Reddy said there would be small changes in the alignment. "Experts familiar with rail curvature and rail gradient are working on it. We hope to complete the work in one month," he said. Reddy also clarified that the delay caused by the proposed alignment change is compensated by speeding up the work at other places by opening many work fronts to ensure that the project is completed on time.

The official said the alignments were proposed in view of the historicity and heritage issues at couple of places. Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma said as a responsible government they have to look into representations made by people.

He clarified that it doesn't mean that the work has stopped. He said a coordination committee headed by him was meeting regularly to ensure coordination among various departments and to remove any bottlenecks in the construction.

The officials were talking to reporters after unveiling of the mascot NIZ. L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited is building 72-km elevated metro rail project at a cost of Rs.14,132 crore in public private partnership.

Reddy had earlier stated that change of alignment proposed by the government may escalate the cost by Rs.400 crore.

The government said it was ready to bear this cost overrun. LTMRHL chief executive and managing director V. B. Gadgil last week said the project escalated by Rs.2,500 crore to Rs.3,000 crore due various factors like high inflation and increase in interest rates and was in a "very very precarious mode".

The project is scheduled to be completed in 2017 but an eight-km stretch on one of the three corridors will be operational in March next year.