KTR seeks special package for Hyderabad in Union Budget

HYDERABAD: Minister for municipal administration and urban development K.T. Rama Rao on Sunday sought a special package in the upcoming Union Budget for the development of Hyderabad and urban areas in the state.

In a media statement, Rao sought Centre’s in-principle approval for the 31-km Rs 6,250-crore Hyderabad airport express metro project. He asked for expediting payment of Rs 254 crore, part of viability gap funding for Hyderabad metro rail project, which has been pending for five years.

Rao said the preliminary estimate for the 20-km mass rapid transit system (MRTS) was Rs 3,050 crore, and asked the Centre to provide Rs 450 crore as 15 per cent of its equity.

For the Rs 2,400-crore project to construct link roads in 104 corridors, he sought Rs 800 crore and for a project aimed at bringing relief from traffic congestion on national highway 65, he asked for Rs 500 crore.

The minister said building the Musi riverfront development and east-west expressway would cost Rs 14,000 crore, SRDP Phase-II Rs 14,000 crore and elevated corridors Rs 9,000 crore for a total of Rs 34,500 crore. Of this, he sought budgetary support of Rs 3,450 crore or 10 per cent of the cost.

He has also requested for an incentive to GHMC on raising of the third tranche of Municipal Bonds.

The minister sought Rs 750 crore, 20 per cent of the Rs 3,777 crore project cost for solid waste management project, bio-mining, faecal sludge and waste water treatment plants. He sought one-third of Rs 8,684 crore cost of building 41 sewage treatment plants.

He asked Rs 240 crore for the strategic nala development plan, and Rs 400 crore under swachh Bharat mission funds as well as Rs 100 crore for the Telangana sanitation hub, a first-of-its-kind in the country.