Airport Express will open up Hyderabad’s Southwest corridor, says KTR

The GO 111 has been revoked now and all these measures would facilitate more development in the IT, life sciences and construction sectors, said KT Rama Rao

Hyderabad: Stating that the 31-km Airport Express was not just for airport commuters, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao said the Metro service would provide better transportation for employees working in the Financial District and neighbouring areas.

In fact, it would open up the Southwest corridor in the city. The GO 111 has been revoked now and all these measures would facilitate more development in the IT, life sciences and construction sectors, the Minister said while inaugurating CREDAI Telangana’s new office at the Financial District here on Thursday.

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Sharing future plans for the city, the Minister said Foxconn was setting up its manufacturing unit at Kongara Kalan, which would be completed in one year. The Pharma City, which was 30 km down south from Shamshabad airport, would result in the opening up of South and Southeast Hyderabad.

Similarly, in the Eastern part of the city, from Kongara Kalan all the way upto Adibatla and Ghatkesar, electronics and aerospace companies were setting up their units and they would also expand in future. The IT sector would be further expanded to the Eastern parts, though a few efforts put in the past had failed, he said.

From North to East Hyderabad, Medical Devices Park was set up at Sultanpur, Kollur Housing Society was launched by the Chief Minister last week and Genome Valley at Shamirpet would be expanded. The Chief Minister plans to establish an education city, a film city and a sports city till Ghatkesar.

Due to Covid and related financial constraints, many works got delayed. River Musi beautification was proposed but could not be done this term but in the next term, these works would be completed, he said.

Recalling his meeting with different union Ministers in New Delhi last week, the Minister said 150 acres of Defence lands were sought from the Centre in lieu of 500 acres of State government lands in Shamirpet. However, since the last eight years, there were oral assurances, but no further development on this till date. In case, if a Telangana favourable government came to power at the Centre, two skyways would be constructed with each structure covering 18.5 km, he said.

While one Skyway would come up from Jubilee Bus Stand to Shamirpet and Turkapally, the other one would stretch from Patny to Kompally and Kandlakoya. Both these structures would not just serve as skyways, but would be embedded with Metro pillars as well for future needs, he said.

The Chief Minister’s vision was to have a 250 km-Metro service in Hyderabad for effective public transportation. There were about 3,500 RTC city buses and in the first phase, 1,000 buses were being replaced with electric buses in a couple of months.

“All conventional city buses will be replaced with electric buses. There should be no vehicular pollution in the city,” Rama Rao said.

When CREDAI office bearers urged the Minister to abolish orders that mandate 60 feet leading roads in big layouts and gated communities, he declined the request. “This State has to prosper and our children need to have a good environment. Wide, leading roads were mandated considering the growth and it will be tough to take up road widening works by demolishing structures in future,” he said.