Centre’s discrimination now towards Hyderabad Metro too, says KTR
KT Rama Rao on Saturday said financial assistance that was being extended to much smaller towns was being denied to Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Charging the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of using revenge tactics and treating Telangana like an enemy country, Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Saturday said financial assistance that was being extended to much smaller towns was being denied to Hyderabad.
Raising strong objection against the Centre’s discrimination in extending support to the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, the Minister said despite Hyderabad being among the fastest growing cities and emerging as one of economic engines for the country, the Metro project was being ignored by the Centre.
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Several requests were made to union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister HS Puri before the union budget for an appointment to present the Metro project details. However, there was no response at all, and Urban Development Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar had to later submit the Detailed Project Report to the union Secretary.
It was clearly mentioned that the Airport Express Metro works would be executed by the State government, while a contribution of 20 to 30 percent was sought for the Metro Phase II works covering 31 km from BHEL to Lakdikapul and for bridging the five-km gap between Nagole and LB Nagar. This Rs.8,455 crore-project had not elicited any response at all from the Centre and neither was there any mention in the union Budget, the Minister said in the Assembly on Saturday.
Phase II of the Bengaluru Metro was estimated to cost Rs.59,000 crore and the Centre had announced a contribution of Rs.11,866 crore. In addition to this, a sovereign guarantee (project does not come under State government or FRBM purview) of Rs.29,664 crore was also declared.
Similarly, Phase II of the Chennai Metro was proposed with Rs.83,993 crore, with the Centre extending equity of Rs.16,799 crore and sovereign guarantee of Rs.41,994 crore.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Centre had announced 20 percent contribution and sovereign guarantee for projects in Lucknow, Agra, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Allahabad, all of which were smaller than Hyderabad on any parameter, Rama Rao said, adding that for the Gandhinagar Metro in Gujarat too, the BJP-led Centre had announced a 20 percent contribution and sovereign guarantee.
“Assistance is being extended to BJP-ruled States and those who are in sync with the union government. For Hyderabad, they seek details about viability, passenger response and raise illogical queries and send projects back,” he said, pointing out that Metro passengers were flooding social media with images of the jam-packed Ameerpet Metro station and demanding extra coaches and trains.
“Strange are the ways of the BJP union government. They claim good response from passengers for Metros in small towns like Gorakhpur and Allahabad but not in Hyderabad. Why this revenge tactics and discrimination towards Telangana? Why are we being treated like an enemy country?” he asked.
On Metro ticket fares being raised by operators, the Minister said the union government had introduced the Central Metro Act and as per the provisions in the PPP mode, the operator could fix the fares.
“However, the Telangana government has issued strict instructions to the Metro operators not to increase fares. They have to be on par with TSRTC fares,” he said.
Regarding Metro services in the Old City, the Minister said the State government was committed towards executing the project and it would be taken up.
