Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao asks officials to plan for future infra needs of capital
The Hindu
Assures them that funds are not a constraint
The State government is determined to take up the next phase 26 km ₹8,453 crore metro between Lakidikapul and BHEL-Ramachandrapuram as well link terminal stations L.B.Nagar and Nagole of about 5 km whether the “Centre provides financial assistance or not,” asserted Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday.
“Public transport like the metro rail is the only solution to tackle pollution in cities. We need to build Metro Rail along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) too. I am pleased to lay the foundation stone for the 31 km ₹6,250 crore Hyderabad Airport Metro which will provide connectivity from any part of the city to the airport in 26 minutes once complete. It is going to be a good project,” he said.
The Chief Minister was addressing a public meeting in the TS Police Academy grounds, Rajendranagar after laying the foundation stone for the Airport Metro project at the Mindspace junction/Raidurg in the presence of his Cabinet colleagues, top officials and other functionaries.
“We will complete the Airport Metro work expeditiously as the traffic towards the international airport at Shamshabad has increased rapidly. Hyderabad Metro phase one is carrying 4.3 lakh passenger and another 70,000 passengers will add once this line is built,” he said.
Two cheques of ₹625 crore each by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and GMR Group (Project proponents of the Hyderabad International Airport) were handed over to him, by the officials concerned on the occasion, equivalent to 10% stake for each in the project funded entirely by the State government.
Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao congratulated the municipal, HMDA, Hyderabad Metro Rail Authorities (HMR) and the GMR Group on the occasion and advised Minister for Municipal Administration K. T. Rama Rao and others to see that the city’s infrastructure needs — roads, sewerage and drinking water — are met in tune with the burgeoning population.
“We need to have a proper research team in place to plan for the future needs rather than just be happy about new skyscrapers, villas and gated communities coming up. The government is ready to provide any amount of money to develop civic infrastructure for the upkeep of the city which at one time was bigger than Delhi in size and population,” he said.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”