Hyderabad Metro: Threat to heritage, religious buildings

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metro Rail project, which has been getting delayed due to changes in design, has surprisingly been executed as per its original plan on all three occasions after constructing the metro at Sultan Bazar and near the Assembly building, which was a part of the original plan.

However, after wasting precious time, the Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities are now proceeding as per the original plan according to which, the Metro would pass through MGBS, Salar-jung Museum (back side), Charminar, Shali-banda, Shamsheer Gunj to reach Faluknama. The HMRL had proposed to change this plan and run the route through MGBS, Museum (front side) City College, Bahadurpura, Kalapattar, Tadban and  Shamsheer Gunj- to Faluknama.

Sources within the HMRL said that after wasting about 5 years, they have come to realise that the proposed changes in the original plan were not viable through the three km stretch near Bahadur-pura, where it would hardly have any footfall.

This apart, the change in design will put an additional burden of Rs 1,000 crore towards construction work. Moreover, the construction of the proposed route would also call for the demolition of about 200 heritage, religious, and iconic structures. However, sources claim that even the original plan would entail the demolition of about 40 religious and heritage structures and popular eateries.