Hyderabad: Another feather will be added to the cap of Hyderabad city when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally launch the first phase of the prestigious Hyderabad Metro project on Tuesday.
This is the biggest infrastructure project in public private partnership (PPP) mode built at a cost of more than Rs140 billion (Dh7.97 billion).
Prime Minister, accompanied by the governor ESL Narasimhan and the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will launch the 30km long stretch of the Metro line from Miyapur to Nagole and will also ride on the maiden trip amid unprecedented security arrangements.
Before that the Prime Minister will unveil the magnificent Inaugural Metro Plaza adjacent to the Miyapur Metro station as mark of the inauguration of the Metro project. The plaza with ten acres of green space around it, expected to become a landmark, a tourist spot and a selfie point for visitors, embodies the heritage of Hyderabad as well as wears a contemporary look, said NVS Reddy, the managing director of Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd.
It has three beautiful arches coming out of the water pond symbolising the three corridors. Each arch is designed as a rail track, signifying the future expansion of the project.
Commercial operation of Metro train will start from 6am on Wednesday.
Metro will ultimately have 71km long run on three different corridors and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.
Even as the state’s Telangana Rashtra Samiti and Chief Minister KCR were basking in the glory of the moment, two opposition parties have also sought credit for the mega project.
The main opposition Congress party recalled that it was during the reign of YS Rajasekhar Reddy that the project had got approval from the Centre and an agreement was signed with the L&T company, the Telugu Desam has reminded the people that the idea of Metro rail system was floated by its leader and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in 2003 and the then NDA government had given its nod to the project.
“Like so many other projects, Hyderabad Metro was the brainchild of Chandrababu Naidu when he was the Chief Minister. It was due to his untiring efforts that Hyderabad became a global city and venue of several major international events with the world class infrastructure”, said R Chandrasekhar Reddy, senior leader of TDP in Telangana.
Going one step ahead the Telangana state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy organised an event and made a multi media presentation to highlight the contribution of Congress government of the erstwhile United Andhra Pradesh to implement the Metro project.
“it was conceived and sanctioned and a significant portion of the work was completed during the Congress rule in the state”, he said alleging that KCR was trying to corner credit for work done by Congress.
“KCR was a troublemaker who created obstacles in the way of the project. The two and a half year delay in the project after KCR came to power caused a cost escalation by Rs4,000 crore |(Rs40 billion)”, he said.