Many considered L&T’s announced exit from the Hyderabad Metro rail project as an ominous sign for the public transport system’s future. This comes especially after the state government announced a key line that will connect the metro into the heart of the Old City near the Charminar as part of its second phase.
Even though the Telangana government under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy began talking about the metro’s new line in the Old City, it looks like there will be a long wait before any expansion happens. That, and the much-needed new airport line, now feel like distant dreams for the city.
The Funding Standoff
As of now, the state is still figuring out how it will fully take over from L&T, given the funding requirements of the massive project. After L&T announced its exit from the project last year, the Telangana government was left on its own. Despite several meetings with the Centre, it was only about a month ago that the central government agreed to help the state devise a financial plan for the project.
Prior to this, Revanth Reddy even accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre of creating hurdles to attain a Rs 13,600 crore loan from the Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC). Essentially, after the 69.2 kilometre phase 1 line, Telangana has been struggling to get any approval for our metro expansion.
Andhra Pradesh’s Quiet Progress
As all of this has unravelled over the last year and especially the last two months, Andhra Pradesh, which does not have any big city like Hyderabad, has managed to move forward quietly while Telangana has struggled.
The centre has apparently forwarded Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for metro rail projects in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada to its financial appraisal division. Both cities together will have a total estimated investment of ₹21,616 crore for a combined phase-1 network of 84.63 kilometres.
All this has moved forward thanks to AP CP Chandrababu Naidu pushing officials to negotiate for a 100% central equity funding. He clearly succeeded in his mission.
Of course, I am sure that having a state government that is part of the ruling NDA at the centre is a big reason for this as well. But that shouldn’t mean a state not aligned with the ruling party should have its projects left hanging.
Hyderabad is one of the biggest, fastest-growing metro cities in south India, and our public transport needs are only increasing day by day even as traffic gets worse. No amount of new flyovers will fix this; more and better-quality public transport will.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy for the people of Andhra that their cities will have metro connectivity soon. It’s surprising, though, that AP is prioritising metro in Vizag and Vijayawada ahead of developing its own capital, Amaravati – and just as surprising that these projects are moving through the Centre faster than Hyderabad’s ever has.
In fact, Hyderabad has way more challenges in developing a metro rail because the city is larger than both Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam. Given its continuous history as a capital city for over 400 years, it has dense, old settlement clusters and an Old City where acquiring land is also difficult. So instead of helping with this, now that L&T is out, the Centre is only making things worse by not giving a go-ahead for the phase-2 line.
Telangana and AP have been fighting over water distribution, assets and everything else, but this kind of biased decision–making will only hurt the growth of my state. I’ve written earlier how connectivity in the Hyderabad metro’s phase-1 is very poor, and the second phase is expected to fix that issue with better planning.
As things stand, the state government is going ahead with land acquisition in the Old City. If there are long delays, people may feel they have given up their land for something that will not be built for years.
The metro rail in Hyderabad’s Old City has been a long-pending demand, and honestly, as someone who is often on that side of the city for work, it will really make the lives of commuters easier without worrying about traffic and parking.
Also Read: Telangana govt must look to Delhi for lessons in managing a metro
A Network With Gaps
The existing Hyderabad metro phase-1 network has three lines: Blue (Nagole to Hitech City), Red (Miyapur to LB Nagar) and Green (JBS to MGBS).
Blue connects one end of Secunderabad, (the former British cantonment in the north end of the Greater Hyderabad area) to the Hitech City and IT sector areas. It is jam-packed daily with commuters going to the IT sector.
The Red line connects the west to the Old City in the south, but it stops short of entering the Old City and is far away from the Charminar area – the center and the most touristy part of the city. This is a far cry from the Delhi Metro, where one can get right to the middle of Old Delhi.
Of course, we can take autos or bike-taxis to reach our destinations, but that is a different game altogether.
That’s why a new line into the Old City will help.
It’s been about six years since the phase-1 network has been fully functional. And in all this time, the Centre has not really helped push anything forward. But in AP, within a year and a half of CM Naidu approving the metro rail project, things have begun moving.
This seems less about technicality and more about being punished for being a non-BJP-aligned state. The question remains, will Hyderabad Metro be left behind Vizag and Vijayawada?
Yunus Lasania is a Hyderabad-based journalist whose work primarily focuses on politics, history, and culture. Views are personal.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)