18 months on, Congress govt’s mega projects in Hyderabad await execution

Despite laying foundation stones for several high-value infrastructure projects across Hyderabad, the Congress government has failed to initiate actual work on any of them. These include Metro Rail extensions, elevated corridors, and the ambitious Bharat Future City. A lack of funds, legal issues, and inter-departmental delays are cited as key reasons.

Hyderabad: The Congress government has laid the foundation for several major projects in and around Hyderabad over the past 18 months, but not a single one has progressed beyond the ceremonial stage.

While it is natural for large projects to take time, the government has failed to ensure that work begins after the foundation stones are laid. As a result, plaques unveiled at these sites now stand as showpieces.

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The delays are attributed to a lack of funds and planning, along with issues such as land acquisition, legal hurdles, and poor coordination between departments.

On March 7, 2024, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy laid the foundation for an elevated corridor from Paradise Junction to Shamirpet, followed two days later by another elevated corridor from Paradise Junction to Kandlakoya on the ORR stretch. Despite approval from the Defence Ministry to part with its land, acquisition hurdles continue to stall both projects.

Similarly, foundations were laid for the Rs. 2,800-crore Metro Rail extension into the old city on March 8, 2024; the Rs. 150-crore Young India Skills University campus on August 2, 2024; and a series of projects under the H-CITI initiative costing Rs. 3,666.5 crore on December 2, 2024.

On February 1, 2025, Revanth Reddy laid the foundation for a new building at Osmania General Hospital with an estimated cost of Rs. 2,700 crore. He also launched River Godavari Phase II and Phase III projects, aimed at diverting 20 tmcft of water to Hyderabad at a cost of Rs.7,360 crore.

Given the massive financial outlay, officials face severe constraints in initiating these projects. The Chief Minister has himself admitted on several occasions that the government is struggling to allocate Rs. 500 crore a month towards capital expenditure.

On March 20 this year, he went further, admitting: “The State government is unable to raise loans as no one trusts the government,” while pointing out that Rs. 8,000 crore is needed to clear retirement benefits of employees.

Except for continuing projects launched by the previous government, including flyovers and sewage treatment plants, the Congress government has confined itself to laying foundation stones without moving towards execution.

Among the most ambitious announcements was the plan to develop a Fourth City on land acquired for Pharma City. Initially called Future City, it has now been renamed Bharat Future City. With farmers resisting land acquisition for road laying, this much-hyped project too appears headed for uncertainty.