Hyderabad: A few Chinese and Malaysian companies have come forward to invest in Telangana’s Rs 80,000-crore Strategic Road Development Programme to build skyways, multi-grade separators, multi-level flyovers and suspension bridges in Hyderabad.
Their condition: The government must adopt a “pay and use” policy wherein people will have to pay to use the facilities. The choice will be left to users to either pay and use the facilities or opt for free alternatives. The project relies almost completely on investments and loans from private agencies.
The government has invited Malaysian and Chinese firms to the city next month to finalise the MoUs for the project. It has also set up the TS urban finance and infrastructure development corporation, registered under the Companies Act, 1956 to raise funds and sign MoUs with private agencies.
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Anju Infrastructure, a Chinese company, has offered to build a four-lane suspension bridge across Durgam Cheruvu in 25 months at a cost of nearly '200 crore.
Company officials submitted project designs to CM Chandrasekhar Rao in January. The bridge is being planned from Jubilee Hills Road No. 45 to Inorbit Mall over Durgam Cheruvu and meant to ease traffic woes. Another Rs 20 crore will be spent to build cycling and walking tracks around the lake.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Construction Industry Development Board has already proposed to invest a total of '10,000 crore in infrastructure projects.
Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao said: “Infrastructure projects of this magnitude require huge funds, which the government alone cannot put in. Private participation is a must. We sought the help of Chinese and Malaysian firms and they have put forth certain conditions. They were invited to visit the state with proposals so that the government can work out on the modalities as to how to take them forward. ‘Pay and use’ is one of the proposals. My view is that there is nothing wrong in collecting user charges for world-class facilities. People will be given the option to utilise paid or free services.” The minister added that the state government was yet to take a call on the matter.
