Begumpet under-tunnel project: CM claims work in progress, HMDA says approvals pending

Contradictory claims over the Begumpet under-tunnel project have emerged. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said work is underway, but HMDA states key approvals, including land transfer from AAI and NoC from civil aviation authorities, are still pending before excavation can begin.

Hyderabad: Contradictory claims over the proposed Begumpet under-tunnel project have triggered a debate following Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s statement in the Assembly and the position conveyed by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).

During the recent Assembly session on March 24, the Chief Minister stated that the State government had secured necessary permissions from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and that work on the under-tunnel at Begumpet airport was in progress.

However, ground-level observations suggest otherwise. While demarcation of the proposed under-tunnel alignment was completed last year and markings are visible on the airport compound wall, no earth excavation work has commenced at the site near the runway.

HMDA, the implementing agency for the project, indicated that key approvals are still pending. HMDA Chief Engineer Ravinder said the authority is pursuing the transfer of airport land from AAI for the under-tunnel project.

“We are pursuing the transfer of airport land at Begumpet Airport with AAI for the proposed under-tunnel. However, there has been no response so far,” he said.

According to officials, the proposal for transfer of runway land has been referred to the AAI’s Board of Officers. The land will be handed over to HMDA only after approval is granted.

Officials said the process may take at least a couple more months, indicating that project execution is yet to begin.

The under-tunnel has been proposed on NH-44 as part of the elevated corridor project in the Secunderabad Cantonment area. It is planned to stretch 0.6 km along the Begumpet airport stretch near Anna Nagar Junction, with a total corridor width of 60 metres.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) had granted working permission in March 2024 for the construction of two elevated corridors—on NH-44 and State Highway 01—including the under-tunnel component.

As per MoD guidelines, HMDA has prepared the design in line with Air Force norms and Indian Road Congress (IRC) specifications. However, prior to commencing excavation, the agency is required to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from civil aviation authorities and implement measures such as view cutters to restrict visibility into the airport.

The proposed under-tunnel is expected to ease congestion on the busy stretch between Paradise Circle and Dairy Farm via Bowenpally X Roads, where over two lakh vehicles ply daily and traffic bottlenecks are frequent, particularly at Tadbund Junction and Bowenpally X Roads.