Hyderabad: Kancha Gachibowli issue pushes road infrastructure works around KBR Park onto back-burner

Challenges involved in land acquisition, funds crunch and more importantly, the recent Kancha Gachibowli land row, appear to have pushed the Hyderabad City Integrated Traffic Infrastructure project on to the back-burner.

Hyderabad: It has been over four months since the foundation was laid for the Hyderabad City Integrated Traffic Infrastructure (HCITI) project, but works that were to be taken up around KBR Park have been delayed for various reasons.

Though officials stress that things got delayed due to the Hyderabad Local Body MLC elections code, the challenges involved in land acquisition, funds crunch and more importantly, the recent Kancha Gachibowli land row, appear to have pushed the project on to the back-burner.

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Amidst much fanfare, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had laid the foundation for development works worth Rs.3,446 crore under HCITI Phase I in December last. Since then officials have been holding review meetings and preparing plans to execute the works in coordination between different departments but things are not taking off as expected. To begin with, under the HCITI project, plans were laid to transform traffic movement around KBR Park through underpasses and flyovers. At an estimated cost of Rs.826 crore, the government had planned a Y shaped underpass from Road No.45 to KBR Park and Yousufguda, a four-lane flyover from KBR Park entrance to Road No 36 and a two-lane flyover from Yousufguda to Road No 45.

However, even before the works were grounded, several hurdles cropped up. Congress leader and Tollywood actor Allu Arjun’s father in law K Chandrashekhar Reddy filed an application in the Prajavani programme urging the government to reconsider its decision of acquiring his open plot alongside Jubilee Hills Road no 92.

Similarly, the Town Planning wing of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation officials had marked a few properties, including those of Tollywood actor and Telugu Desam MLA from Hindupur Nandamuri Balakrishna, Congress MLA from Nagarjunasagar K Jayaveer Reddy and others. A total of 295 properties have been identified for acquisition for executing the works. Apart from properties belonging to political leaders, industrialists and eminent personalities, considering the setback suffered in the Kancha Gachibowli land issue, the government is moving cautiously in executing works around KBR Park, which is also a national park.

With GHMC elections fast approaching, there are speculations in the municipal corporation that the government will not push the works as it may turn counterproductive.