Bullet train ‘feasible’ but metro for Hyderabad isn’t: Owaisi slams centre

Hyderabad: AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday slammed the BJP-led centre for calling the proposed second phase of the Hyderabad metro rail ‘unfeasible’.

The proposed second phase of metro rail for building the 26 km Rs 8,453 crore elevated metro rail corridor from Lakdikapul to BHEL and extension of phase one metro rail project of 5 km from Nagole to LB Nagar is “not feasible at this juncture considering the proposed ridership and Passengers per Hour Per Direction (PHPD) is very less”

The Centre in an official communication to the Telangana government has suggested it to take up ‘other modes’ of transport or provide a ‘feeder system’. It also asked for a roadmap for the densification of proposed transit stations for enhancing ridership and furnishing the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) policy.

“Absolutely condemnable decision by Modi govt For Modi wasteful expenditure like Bullet Train is “feasible” just to show off to foreigners. But metro for Hyderabadis isn’t feasible! Govt must reverse this decision & should also fund MGBS-Falaknuma line,” he tweeted.

Taking a strong objection to the centre’s call, Telangana minister KT Rama Rao had written a letter to the Union minister for Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri to reconsider the Centre’s decision.

KTR said that it was strange that the Government of India which had sanctioned metro projects to many cities with less traffic had felt that Hyderabad does not qualify for a Metro Rail project.

The minister said that it was nothing but ‘blatant discrimination’ against Telangana. “If the traffic of Hyderabad’s high-density corridors does not qualify for a Metro Rail project, I wonder how a number of small cities of UP like Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, Agra, Prayag Raj, Meerut and cities located in some of their favoured states get qualified. This is nothing but pure discrimination and step-motherly treatment to Hyderabad and Telangana,” minister KTR said.

The minister pointed out that his multiple attempts to meet Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri to explain the importance of Hyderabad Metro Phase II ‘went in vain’. “Given your professional background, I had hoped that you would ensure the fair and objective treatment to our infrastructure development proposals without any bias or prejudice,” the minister mentioned in his letter to Puri.