Metro Rail picks up pace

The project won’t cause traffic snarls: Administration.

Even as the government assures less traffic hassles due to the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) project, representatives from civic society groups continue to vehemently oppose it.
The Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development M Maheedhar Reddy tried to alleviate the apprehensions of citizens about traffic problems while inspecting ongoing works at the Uppal depot linked to metro corridor-3. He assured the public that the metro project would not cause traffic snarls. "The metro is the need of the hour. As the city is developing at a fast pace and there is an urgent need to reduce traffic problems. There may be some snarls in the initial stages but we must understand that it will ensure safe travelling experience for our future generations," he explained.
The Minister assured the farmers, general public and small business men that they would not be unduly affected due to the project. He also assured everyone that the project would be completed within the stipulated time, as planned by L&T.
The HMR project runs through three different corridors and is being initiated at points where roads are wide and carry less traffic. Uppal is one such point where land has been acquired and the set-up for supporting ongoing works has been established. Land is yet to be acquired at major traffic bottlenecks in the city like Ameerpet and parts of the old city.
However, representatives from civic society are not happy with the Metro project. They point out that the starting point was chosen deliberately to ensure that there would be less traffic hiccups and all hell will break loose once metro work commences on busy stretches. "Uppal and Miyapur have wider roads and carry very little traffic. But when the project reaches congested portions of the city, then things will be extremely chaotic," remarked C Ramachandraiah, Convenor, Citizens for a Better Public Transport in Hyderabad. "If the authorities are transparent, why didn't they start the project from Ameerpet?" he questioned.  According to him, several areas in the city are yet to be cleared, as many petitions are pending in the courts. "It will take at least a year to complete the works at Uppal. After spending Rs 1000 crore on this stretch, government will forcefully confiscate land from other areas because they can't rollback," forecasts Ramachandraiah. According to him, metro will take at least eight years to become operational and not two, as projected by HMR.  "The negative effect of this haste will become apparent only after some time. The scam would be of bigger proportion than Emaar," he warns. 
The general public however, remains oblivious to the concerns raised by citizens groups. Most people we spoke to appeared enthusiastic about the new addition to the city landscape. "As people will travel on metro, traffic congestion will obviously get reduced. I too shall take up a house at a location close to the nearest metro station to reduce travelling time and cut back on the cost of travelling," commented M Rajesh, a resident of Tarnaka. 

--Md Nizamuddin