Local Military Authority puts spokes in Multi-Modal Transport System-II wheels

Secunderabad: 'So near, yet so far' is the case of the 22.1-km Moula Ali-Sanathnagar stretch of Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) Phase II project.

Nearly 80 per cent of the works at five stations and 70 per cent of track and electrification works have been completed but the commissioning of the section remains a far cry, thanks to the delay in obtaining permission from the Local Military Authority (LMA).

Getting the green signal for a mere 4-km stretch near Suchitra Junction which is under the LMA is purportedly the major cause for the delay. Senior officials at Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the implementing agency, and South Central Railway said that in spite of the consent from the defence authorities, the Home Ministry and even the President of India, works have been delayed.

Officials on condition of anonymity, say that the LMA raises objections now and then on issues of alignment and others and as a result work has slowed down.

It may be noted that in 2017, the Union Defence Ministry directed the stakeholders to set up a committee comprising officers from Railways, State government and two officers from LMA to undertake a survey, demarcate the extent of land, complete the process and hand over the defence land for MMTS.

In the meantime, RVNL completed several works including foot-over-bridges (FOB), toilets, high-level platforms, waiting halls, parking facility, booking counters and landscaping. The total expenditure incurred so far is Rs 663 crore but the State government contributed only Rs 130 crore against its share of Rs 442 crore i.e., 2/3rd of Rs 663 crore.

Construction on the five stations - Ferozguda, Suchitra Centre, Bhudevi Nagar, Neredmet and Moula Ali HB Colony is almost complete. Ravi Kiran, a resident of Neredmet, says, "I cannot wait for the commissioning of the trains. There is a sizable population that works in Sanathnagar and nearby areas from Neredmet and its surroundings.

It would be a boon for these people." Echoing a similar view is Radhika N V, a medical transcriptionist, who says, "Many students from A S Rao Nagar, Ramakistapuram, Neredmet and Malkajgiri study in Suchitra Academy, Sherwood Public School and several International Schools near Suchitra Circle and Petbasheerabad area. We are waiting for the MMTS services to start. We are spending thousands for transport."

FACT FILE

• Five MMTS stations are being constructed on the Sanathnagar-Moula Ali section

• They are coming up at Ferozguda, Suchitra Centre, Bhudevi Nagar, Neredmet and Moula Ali HB Colony

• MMTS Phase- II project has been proposed for a distance of 84.5 km

MMTS Phase-II services will cover

1. Secrabad-Moula Ali-Ghatkesar
2. Secunderabad-Bolarum-Medchal
3. Falaknuma – Umdanagar – Shamshabad Airport
4. Moula Ali-Sanathnagar
5. Moula Ali-Malkajgiri-Sitafalmandi
6. Telapur-Ramchandrapuram