GMR refuses to let MMTS up to airport

The proposal has been pending for over three years now with GMR refusing to allot land to set up an MMTS station in the airport premises. The MMTS connectivity will spare air passengers from incurring heavy expenditure on cabs for transportation from city to Shamshabad.

GMR has tie-up with Meru Cabs and Sky Cabs, and there have been allegations that it has been denying access to MMTS to protect the interests of these cab services and make profits through revenue-sharing.

However, GMR has refuted these allegations, and has claimed that the MMTS is being denied access into the airport only on “security grounds”. TRS MPs took up the issue with the SCR authorities on Wednesday and demanded providing MMTS connectivity to Shamshabad airport. SCR general manager P.K. Srivastava informed them that they were ready to provide the connectivity, but GMR was not cooperating.

Interestingly, it’s the GMR that had reached an understanding with SCR and the state government in the undivided state about rail connectivity to the airport. The GMR now wants the station to be set up at a distance of 3 km from the airport terminal.

However, the SCR said that the existing Umdanagar railway station is just 6 km away from the airport and building another station at a distance of 3 km will not serve any purpose.

TRS floor leader in Lok Sabha A.P. Jitender Reddy and deputy floor leader B. Vinod Kumar said, “SCR officials said that GMR was opposing allotment of land inside the airport near passenger terminal for MMTS station on security grounds.

GMR wants the station to come up at a distance of 3 km from the terminal. Whose purpose will it serve? The CM is keen on providing rail link to the airport.” The government has decided to push its stand by sending delegations of MPs to the PM and Union ministers concerned.