Even with Rs 1500 crore in kitty, GHMC unable to resolve traffic woes in city
Hyderabad: The GHMC borrowed another Rs 1,500 crore to complete its ongoing projects. However, that money is only enough to complete the ongoing Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) flyover works under phase I. The corporation has no funds to embark on the next phase as promised by minister K.T. Rama Rao in the Assembly in March.
Officials said that the corporation cannot borrow more as it has already raised Rs 4,000 crore from banks and another Rs 1,000 crore through municipal bonds for the phase I SRDP. To begin the phase II works, the corporation has to depend on the state government for taking up the Rs 3,515 crore skyway project, among others.
The government has sanctioned Rs 8,092 crore for the phase I works. The corporation has so far spent about Rs 3,000 crore on the ongoing projects. A lion's share of the Rs 1,500 crore that is needed will be spent on the steel bridges - Nalgonda crossroads (Rs 523.37 crore) and Indira Park-VST (Rs 426 crore) apart from the construction of a six-lane flyover from Aramghar to zoo park (Rs 636.80 crore).
The civic body has so far spent about Rs 150 crore of Rs 263.09 crore on the skyway project at Botanical garden, Kothaguda and Kondapur junction. The corporation will execute Shilpa layout, Gachibowli, via gas company to Gachibowli junction, including construction of an elevated structure as per the master plan to the tune of Rs 330 crore. Official sources informed that the Rs 1,500 crore that has been raised would be sufficient only to execute the pending projects. They said that the corporation will look up to the state government to resolve traffic woes at 14 other junctions.
A senior GHMC official requesting anonymity told Deccan Chronicle that the transfer development right (TDR) has saved Rs 3,000 crore, which otherwise would have been spent on land acquisition. The official said that the GHMC has raised the maximum amount of Rs 5,000 crore by way of bank loans and municipal bonds. He said that the corporation has to depend on the state government for funds to execute SRDP phase II works but government officials were yet to respond despite promises made on the floor of the Legislative Assembly. The official said that the phase would be taken up only in 2024 after the completion of all phase I pending projects.
Meanwhile, under phase II, five projects have been proposed in Charminar zone, four in Khairatabad zone, two in Secunderabad, two in Kukatpally Zone and one each in LB Nagar and Serilingampally zones. The works proposed include construction of six flyovers, one underpass, four road under bridges (RuBs), one road over bridge (RoB), a bridge across Foxsagar surplus nala Y junction and a tunnel at Khajaguda. The Khajaguda tunnel itself requires an administrative sanction of Rs 1,080 crore. All put together, the corporation requires Rs 3,515 crore.
