Hyderabad: What about Metro Rail in Old City?

Charminar: Even as the stretch connecting JBS (Jubilee Bus Station) and MGBS (Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station) will be thrown open for commuters by the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) on Friday, the suspense over MGBS to Falaknuma passing through Old City areas continues.

The 11-km long stretch on Corridor-II which will be officially inaugurated with much hype has also triggered debate once again about the unfulfilled promise of metro through some six km stretch of Old City connecting Falaknuma on the other side. The members of Old City Metro Rail Joint Action Committee (JAC) already began reminding the officials about the paperwork in this endeavour and some of them also demanded to defer the inauguration till they clear the air.

According to JAC, the construction of Metro Rail Project was started in April 2012, for a total of 71 km including 6 km in Old City starting from Darulshifa (MGBS) to Falaknuma, the route from JBS to Falaknuma in corridor-II. The Metro line from MGBS to Falaknuma via DarulShifa, Purani Haveli, Eitebar Chowk, Sultan Shahi, Shah Ali Banda, Syed Ali Chabutra and Shamsheer Gunj, with six metro stations Salarjung museum, Charminar, Shah Ali Banda, Shamshergunj, Jangammet and Falaknuma were supposed to come up in this corridor.

But even after six years the Hyderabad Metro Rail project could only reach MGBS and there remains no clarity, even as Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will be inaugurating it on February 7. "Since the project was started, the government is only paying lipservice, but nothing on the ground can be seen. We demand the authorities to announce the date of metro rail project and start project work in Old City", said K Venkatesh, senior Congress leader and JAC member.

Venkatesh told The Hans India that Hyderabad Metro Rail project has reached to MGBS covering 66 km in city but is yet to enter in Old City, even though works should have been completed by 2016.

"On several occasions KCR and MAUD Minister K T Rama Rao spoke on the matter in Assembly sessions about the metro rail in Old City and even AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi raised the issue in Assembly and also held inspection during elections along with HMRL officials ", he added.

Meanwhile other members of the JAC cautioned that they may once again launch agitation on the matter. "If the metro rail project is further delayed in old city, the JAC is ready to take agitational path in the coming days," said ET Narsimha, CPI leader and JAC member.

Besides pointing fingers at the TRS, the JAC member and BJP leader Ch Roop Raj also found fault with the AIMIM and accused them of intentionally stopping metro rail in Old City. "MIM is against development in Old City. If the Metro comes in this part of the City, commercial activity will grow. Even students and employees from these areas can reach to their destinations in no time and it will cut cost and time," he argued.

While replying on Twitter to the Hyderabad Metro Rail, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that "What about the Dar-ul-Shifa to Falaknuma Metro line you have funds to lay & start JBS Metro station but when it comes to south of Hyderabad you have no answer" he tweeted

♦ Suspense over proposed 6-km MGBS-Falaknuma corridor continues

♦ Old City Metro Rail JAC seeks clarity before JBS-MGBS route launch

♦ Even after six years the Hyderabad Metro Rail project could only reach MGBS and there remains no clarity, even as Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will be inaugurating it today

♦ Metro line from MGBS to Falaknuma via DarulShifa, Purani Haveli, Eitebar Chowk, Sultan Shahi, Shah Ali Banda, Syed Ali Chabutra and Shamsheer Gunj, with six metro stations Salarjung museum, Charminar, Shah Ali Banda, Shamshergunj, Jangammet and Falaknuma supposed to come up as part of corridor-2