Telangana government tells Metro to step on it, complete works

Hyderabad: Chief secretary Rajiv Sharma on Tuesday asked Larsen & Toubro Metro Rail to speed up works at Chikkadpally-RTC crossroads, Mushe-erabad, Ameerpet crossroads, Yousufguda crossroads and at Nampally station. Mr Sharma said it was observed that while permission for work was being taken for 15 days, it was not being completed on time. 

A senior state government officer said, “They are taking more than the required time to complete the works. In some places it was brought to our notice that works have been going on for one-and-a-half months. This is why we asked them to expedite the works.” 

A senior Larsen & Toubro  official said, “We can work only at night. As heavy vehicles can’t be deployed during the day, our work gets hampered. We are trying our level best to finish works  as soon as possible.” At the same time, works of shifting utilities at critical stretches like RTC X Road – Musheerabad, near Public Garden and Bhoiguda Y Junction need to be completed quickly as traffic is getting held up in these areas. There are also 66 properties, which are pending acquisition. 

These need to be acquired for road widening to facilitate better traffic movement in Metro corridors. A senior officer said, “These properties are in different stages of acquisition and this is becoming a major hurdle for the project. While the chief secretary has been taking stock of the situation, for the last two months there has not been any major progress in the acquisition process and that is a concern.”

Begumpet work slow, says Metro

Hyderabad Metro Rail managing director N.V.S. Reddy said on Tuesday that works on rail overbridges at Alugaddabavi, Chilkalguda, Oliphanta bridge, Begumpet and Malakpet were going on in full swing. Work at Alugaddabavi, where the Metro Rail is being built over the existing railway line, was going on as fast as at the Bharatnagar Metro Rail overbridge, he said.

A senior engineer with L&T said, “The experience gained at Bharatnagar Metro Rail overbridge is helping us tackle the engineering details at the Alugaddabavi junction.” Work at Begumpet is progressing at a slower pace as it can only be done at night due to the heavy vehicular traffic.

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