Metro works bring city to halt

This is only the beginning as the metro works started in bits and pieces. "Call it the price you have to pay for development or just a colossal test of patience, fact is that ever since the metro work construction has begun in the city, neverending serpentine rows of vehicles, constant honking and road rage has become everyday reality of every Hyderabadi" says the news item in Times of India, Hyderabad Times, 9 Feb13. (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSC8yMDEzLzAyLzA5I0FyMDI5MDA%3D).  

Srividya Vemuri, a corporate professional, who commutes from Uppal to Gachibowli, has also found relief in local trains. “Travelling from Secunderabad to Hitec City via road is a two-hour journey as opposed to a swift 15 minutes by MMTS. I’ve cancelled my office cab and prefer going this way. It’s cheaper too,” she says. 
(CR- The HMR is campaigning that the inconvenience is only temporary. But the so called temporary can be a very long time. The Hyderabadis' real taste of this 'development' is yet to come.
It may be noted that MMTS is a local train service. It should have been strengthened by adding more services and completing a second phase, all in less than Rs. 600 cr. But the state govt has not shown any interest in this. Only on the expensive metro mega project.) (Photos courtesy: The Times of India, 9 Feb 13.)

Drinks, Dinner and Dance

This is just to share on the tactics employed by the Hyderabad metro authorities (govt’s HMR and the private L&T) to promote an image for the metro in the city. This has nothing against the participants in the so called ‘interaction’ as we have a lot of good friends in the journalist fraternity.

On 20^th January, the metro authorities invited many journalists for an ‘interactive’ session. It was not in their office in the city but at Taramati Baradari, a place known for cultural shows and partying on the outskirts of the city. What followed was less of interaction and more of drinks and dinner (with some dance by the chiefs of the HMR and L&T metro).  We are reproducing below an item in the Times of India, Hyderabad, 22 January 2013 under the title CHATPATA (image also inserted below the text).

“The NVS-Gadgil show “
“It was supposed to be a serious interaction (or so said the invite) with NVS Reddy and V B Gadgil over the future of metro rail in Hyderabad. But to everybody’s surprise, the event organised at Taramati Baradari over the weekend turned out to be comical with the Hyderabad Metro Rail chief deciding to entertain his guests by shaking a leg to some disco numbers being played by an orchestra team that had been especially brought in for the occasion. If that wasn’t shocking enough for the invitees, Reddy was soon heard crooning some Telugu folk songs (written to promote the metro rail) in his not-so-melodious voice leaving the gathering to wonder just what the meet was all about. The pool side party got even more colourful with the L&T CEO joining in, not to speak about the progress of the transport project, but render a peppy English number for his audience. That the duos’ show didn’t go down well with many was evident from the disgusted look on the faces of guests who were seen cursing themselves for landing up for the alleged conference. Some others, however, found solace in the delicious spread served up hot and spicy! “ (Note: NVS Reddy is the MD of HMR and V.B. Gadgil CEO and MD of L&T Metro Rail.)

No wonder, one reporter was probably so much impressed with the drinks and dinner that he likened the metro pillars with “beautiful girls playing under the moonlight” in a Telugu daily. Now the L&T is making promotional films to project an image for the metro. It is inviting students, executives, senior citizens, housewives, and others to become Brand Ambassadors for Hyderabad Metro Rail. It is ‘your chance to become a celebrity’, says half-page advts in the local news papers in early January.

It may be noted that the Hyd metro construction is going on in full swing in two stretches of 8km and 12km where the roads are already very wide. The citizens will start experiencing the traffic nightmares when the construction enters beyond these stretches and when hundreds of shops will have to be demolished. That will take some more time before which the authorities are trying to create and promote graphically designed images for the metro.

Probably, more comical shows may follow!

- Dr. C. Ramachandraiah

Hyderabad Metro - to be the Ugliest in India?

Hyderabad Metro to be the Ugliest in India By Dr C. Ramachandraiah.

As it is, an elevated corridor itself makes the streets ugly in the thickly built core areas with the corridors at heights of 40-70 feet. Now, imagine if the corridors at such heights have overhead electric cables to run the metro rails (like the normal Indian Railways). What happened to the tall claims of the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) and L&T officials that this metro will be the most advanced in India? The story of HMR getting more bizarre as the time passes! 

The latest in the metro rail technology is to supply electricity through a Third Rail that runs between the two tracks. The moving train derives power from this Third  Rail. The Delhi metro rail has opted for it between Delhi and Gurgaon. The Bangalore metro rail too is operating on the Third Rail technology.  Further, this system costs over 25 % less than the traditional AC traction system. Then what prevents them from adopting it in Hyderabad? How can they claim this metro to be eco-friendly? If not adopted, then what is the latest about this metro when they are adopting outdated technology? Strangely, they are citing the lack of engineers and safety of passengers as reasons. Both reasons appear false.

Imagine the streets of Hyderabad and the three corridors criss-crossing the city over the flyovers and railway lines. At three places, the metro corridors themselves have to cross over each other (Ameerpet, Patny and Kothi). Elevated corridors passing over the electric lines above another corridor! At four places over the flyovers (Greenlands, Punjagutta, Nalgonda cross roads, HiTec city). At eight places or so, they have to cross railway bridges, the prominent one being at Malakpet.

Imagine at what heights will the electric lines be? And in the thickly built streets, is it not dangerous for the residences abutting the corridors (at 30 ft away) from those electric cables? Doesn’t this indicate that Hyd metro will be the ugliest metro in India? Isn’t it also true that the concerned officials have been hoodwinking the public about its socalled ‘state of the art’ technology?

We have been arguing from the beginning that this metro is being built on lies and false claims. We assure you again that we will prove right in the coming period also.

Read more on this in the TOI news item:

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIH/2013/01/06&PageLabel=2&EntityId=Ar00201&ViewMode=HTML

'Hyderabad Metro Rail to be slowest in India'

'Hyderabad Metro Rail to be slowest in India'

By B V Shiva Shankar, Times of India, Dec 1, 2012. 

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) that is coming up as a mass rapid transit system to ease the city's traffic congestion would be the slowest in the country thanks to the ill-design of the project, contended petitioners who moved the high court against Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited(HMRL). They charged HMRL with changing the originally designed alignment illegally. 
Talking about the sharp curves of the alignment at eight locations in the stretch between Ameerpet and Jubilee Hills checkpost, the Greenlands Ameerpet Madhuranagar Yousufguda Srikrishna Nagar Joint Action Committee (GAMYS-JAC), which is fighting the legal battle for the traders of the area, argued before the court on Thursday that the defective design would pose a serious threat to passenger safety. While railway safety rules prescribe a minimum 120 metre radius of curvature for alignment of a metro train, the curves designed at the marked locations, including Greenlands, Ameerpet crossroads and Sarathi Studios are less than 60 metres.

"In order to maintain an average speed, the alignment must have wide curves wherever the train bends. As per norms, the radius of curvature must be more than 120 metres. If it is less than that, the speed must be reduced to avoid the risk of the train getting derailed," said professor M N Srihari, advisor to Karnataka government on Bangalore Metro Rail. As per standards, the average operational speed of a metro train is 80 km/hr, but with sharp curves, the average speed of a train has to be reduced to 25 km/hr, the domain experts said. However, the very idea of mass rapid transit system would be defeated with the slower movement, they said.

"Unlike Bangalore Metro, HMRL has still time to rectify the errors as construction work had just started. The radius of curvature can still be increased. If they don't do it, CRS may deny permission or insist on reducing the speed. Going by the calculations, the average operational speed of a Hyderabad Metro train cannot be more than 25 km/hr which means it would be the slowest in the country," said Srihari. 
But, it is not going to be easy for HMRL to rectify the loopholes because increasing the radius of curvature means acquisition of more land and demolition of more buildings. While L&T authorities, concessionaire of HMR project, declined to comment, a spokesperson of HMRL refused to do so because the issue is in court.

Hyderabad Metro IS A Real Estate Project

This is in Telugu. Please find below the images of my interview (titled INNERVIEW) today (24 Nov) in Andhra Jyothy, Telugu Daily, in Hyderabad. The lead is given in the front page and the main interview is in the second page. The title of the interview is "Metro IS a Real Estate Project". I argued how the on-going Hyderabad metro rail (HMR) is a real estate project, how we exposed several dimensions of this project over the last 5 years or so when authorities were refusing to share any information, how the traders in different areas got organised to protest, and how we QUESTIONED this project's claims to solve public transportation problems in the city. We also talked about no progress in our petitions in the High Court but it is a moral victory for us when, in another petition, the judge passed an Order saying that HMR cannot be built under the Tramways Act when it is a full-fledged railway project, and how the authorities did not implement the law. We also expressed our disappointment with the TRS party when it did not question the state government's proceeding with metro works without responding to the several valid issues raised by that party.

Osmania University lands - No to Metro Rail

OU refuses land to metro

DC, Hyderabad, October 18, 2012 By L. Venkat Ram Reddy

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/ou-refuses-land-metro-354

The lands belonging to Osmania University will not be alienated to the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) project. HMR has sought nearly 25 acres belonging to Osmania University in Tarnaka, Koti and Secunderabad to build parking facilities and other amenities for the project. However, the stiff resistance from Osmania University staff and student organisations has forced the government to refuse land allotment for the project.

OU teachers, students and non-teaching staff had launched a “Save OU lands“ campaign in January 2011 to prevent university land being given to the metro rail project. They demanded that OU land should be used only for expansion of the university. They pointed out that giving away precious land was totally against the resolution passed by the university on December 26, 1986, as well as the report of the Justice O. Chinnappa Reddy Committee. Of the nearly 25 acres sought, two acres were in Koti Women’s College, and another two acres in PG College, Secunderabad, 1.7 acres on the NIN premises, Tarnaka, two acres in the State Archives, Tarnaka, 2.78 acres in the Tarnaka junction flyover and university road and 15 acres near Sarathi School, Habsiguda. The government has now decided to withdraw its proposal to acquire these OU lands and it will look for other alternatives.

Under the agreement signed with the concessionaire L&T, the state government has to allot 269 acres for the metro rail project. This included the 25 acres of OU. It has already identified and allotted 15 acres in Raidurg for the HMR in August and still needs another 13 acres. The government is searching for other land for developing parking facilities and circulation areas for metro rail stations.

Big Lie - Hyderabad metro to carry 60000 pphdt

This is one of the lies being spread by  the project promoters and their cohorts. First, there will be no load of that size (60,000 pphdt) in Hyderabad. This city doesn't have a central business district (CBD) of the scale of connaught place in Delhi. Even the Delhi metro is not carrying that much load. Delhi metro is carrying about 16 lakh/day, sometimes a maximum of 20 lakh on some days. That is, in a city of 1.3 crore people with a metro network of 162 km (including 32 km underground) on 6 corridors. To say that Hyderabad metro of 72 km will carry 15 lakh and then 25 lakh is spreading BIG lies to justify such projects. Only future will tell how this project becomes a curse for the city.-- CR

HYDERABAD, October 9, 2012

Hyderabad metro rail to carry 60,000 passengers per hour

GEETANATH

Hyderabad Metro Rail is going to be a ‘high density’ project in terms of carrying capacity of passengers per hour. It means that when operational the elevated rail system can carry up to 60,000 Passengers Per Hour in Peak Direction (PPHPD). Initially the plan was to build a ‘medium density’ project which entails a carrying capacity of 40,000 passengers per hour per direction as per the Delhi Metro prepared detailed project report. Later, it was decided to scale up during the construction stage itself by increasing the axle load for hauling more people considering the rising traffic density across the three routes. “Little can be done once the viaduct and piers are constructed so we decided to increase the axle load when the work began,” explains Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy. While the three car trains will have a carrying capacity of 1,000 passengers per trip, six car trains later will have carrying capacity of 6,000 passengers with a frequency of five minutes a train. For more, read.. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/hyderabad-metro-rail-to-carry-60000-passengers-per-hour/article3980572.ece?homepage=true