Work begins on Old City metro rail in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) has started the preparatory works for undertaking metro rail works in the Old City here as instructed by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, a top official said on Sunday.

The 5.5 km (stretch) metro alignment in Old City is from MGBS to Falaknuma via Darulshifa junction - Purani Haveli - Ettebar Chowk - Alijakotla - Mir Momin Daira - Haribowli - Shalibanda - Shamsheergunj and Aliabad , HMRL Managing Director N V S Reddy said in a release.

Preparation of individual sketches of the 1,000 odd affected properties has started and land acquisition notices will be issued in about a month, he said. There will be five stations - - Salarjung Museum, Charminar, Shalibanda, Shamsheergunj anD Falaknuma on this stretch.

Though the metro station locations are about 500 meters away from Salarjung Museum and Charminar, these two stations are being named after them in view of their importance and pride of place in the city, Reddy said. There are 103 religious and other sensitive structures in this stretch.

Through engineering solutions like adjustment of curvature, viaduct design and heights, suitable alteration of metro pillar locations etc., other than four of all these religious/ sensitive structures have been saved, he said.

On the instructions of the Chief Minister and Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Minister K T Rama Rao, further engineering refinement is being done to the metro alignment to save the remaining four religious structures also, he said.

The road widening will be restricted to 80 feet so that the religious/sensitive structures are not touched, Reddy said and added that learning lessons from the Phase 1 project in the rest of the city, the road would be widened at the station locations to 120 feet. (PTI)