Hyderabad Metro runs into hard rocks

Hyderabad: The builder and operator of the Metro project, Larsen & Toubro is unsure of continuing Metro construction underground due to the presence of hard rocks, boulders and the topography of the soil.

With Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao having stated  that the Metro rail structures should continue underground near the Assembly, Sultan Bazar and other heritage structures, Metro officials are in a fix.

The announcement prompted them to remove the barricades at Narayanguda near Sultan Bazaar.

While Hyderabad Metro Rail and  L&T maintain that there is no official communication from the government regarding this, rumours have already begun in the department regarding the topography of the land and the subsequent cost factor.

A senior L&T official said, “While digging for pillars we have come across very hard rocks. Our machine has broken down many times due to this. Given the topography of the land, going underground will be a costly affair. Presently, the pillars per km are costing Rs 200 crore and this can escalate to Rs 500 crore and more per km.”

Going underground would mean considering the diameter of the tunnel and the factor of power supply.

The firm, L&T, claims that it has previously  explained that the costs of tunneling underground are varied and management is a cumbersome task.

While operators and government departments are keenly looking at the economic factors, heritage activists and citizens’ groups have been raising a hue and cry since the inception of the project.
Sajad Shaid,  a heritage activist said, “The heritage committee has raised several objections from the beginning but no attention was paid. We even proposed a Heritage Impact Study but nothing was done by Hyderabad Metro Rail. Whether the re-alignment can be done is a big question but at least that the Chief Minister has raised our concerns us gives some hope.”

Traders in Sultan Bazaar, no doubt, are elated. The 200- year-old market has about 116 shops, some of them more than a 100 years old. If the Metro work begins, it will pass through major commercial centers like Kachiguda, Badichowdi, Sultan Bazaar and Puthlibowli where 1,500 shops would be affected due to road widening from 30 feet to 100 feet.

The chairman, Traders Joint Action Committee said, “Our objections have been finally heard. Sultan Bazaar is only half-a-km stretch but would have to be relocated due to the work which would have affected the livelihood of many people. The work on this 14.2 km long third corridor,  has still not started and we are now hopeful of a positive outcome.”