Land row even kills Hyderabad Metro Rail-city meetings

Hyderabad: The important issue of acquiring properties has become so troubling, that the government has even stopped weekly meetings with Metro Rail officials since February.

Forty properties remain to be acquired at crucial places for the first two phases of Hyderabad Metro Rail. The acquisition has been delayed due to legal issues and pending litigation.

The number has remained at 40 since February. A senior government officer said Metro officials would tell them week after week that properties could not be acquired due to legal issues. “That looked bad for the government. So the meetings were called off.” Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma had said legal issues involving the properties could be resolved with the help of the attorney general, but humanitarian factors are also being cited.

The most critical properties that have not yet been acquired are Padma Hamsa Apartments and land at Iskcon in Secunderabad and the Transstory building on Road No 5, Jubilee Hills. Besides those, there are several properties at Yousufguda and Madhuranagar that have not yet been acquired.

Another officer told DC: “The big issue of the Metro Rail in the Old City is pending. There will be a huge list of properties to be acquired, which has not been taken into consideration yet.”