Hyderabad metro should be underground in several parts- says the DPR

Namaste Telangana, a Telugu daily formed for the cause of a separate T state, has written a series of 16 stories with the last one appearing today (11 July). For us fighting against the elevated metro in the last few years, several of the contents were familiar. What surprised us is the revelations based on DPRs (detailed project reports) which are not shared by the authorities even under RTI (my petition is pending in the State Info Comn). A few of those are given below –

-          - The DPR-2003 (prepared by DMRC of Delhi Metro, prime consultant to Hyd metro) talks of the taking most of the Line-2 underground. This is the Line in which Sultan Bazaar traders have been fighting against demolitions. But the state govt (the headed by Mr. Naidu) preferred elevated and told the DMRC that most of the roads will be widened.

-         -  It is amusing to find the name of a popular road (Sardar Patel Road) and a never-heard of road (Krishna Prasad Road) appearing in the old city on Line-2. (The ‘consultants’ who are hardly familiar with the city would have prepared these reports).

-         - The Line-3 between Secunderabad and Hitec City was not feasible as elevated corridor from engineering point of view due to steep gradients and four flyovers enroute (in parallel). It was recommended to be partly underground and partly elevated.

-          - Some pillars in Line-3 will have to go upto a height of about 100 ft.

-         -  The metro project’s managing director (MD) should be a technocrat of impeccable integrity (what we have is a railway accounts officer, whose integrity is questionable, and who got appointed in the same post till he retires!).

More later...