Hyderabad: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has written to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, urging the state government to expedite the takeover of
Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase-I from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and nominate officials for a joint coordination committee to move forward with Phase-II of the project.
In his letter, Reddy said the Telangana government has sought approvals from the Centre to undertake Phase-II of the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project to address traffic congestion and improve public transport infrastructure in the state capital. He noted that the state has also announced plans to complete the takeover of Phase-I from L&T and operate metro services directly.
Reddy said he met Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on January 14 to discuss both the proposed Phase-II expansion and the status of Phase-I. According to Reddy, Khattar stated that the takeover of Phase-I must be completed first, with all agreements, decisions and financial transactions finalised, before further progress can be made. He added that the Government of India has already agreed in principle to the construction of Phase-II.
The Union Minister further said it was agreed during earlier discussions that a joint committee comprising two officials each from the Centre and the Telangana government would be formed to coordinate the Phase-I takeover and preparatory work for Phase-II. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) subsequently requested the state to nominate two officials for the committee.
However, Reddy said the Centre has not yet received the nominations from the Telangana government, delaying the formation of the committee. He stressed that once the nominations are submitted, the Centre will convene the panel and take the process forward.
In his letter, Reddy requested the state government to nominate officials at the earliest, expedite the Phase-I takeover from L&T, and submit Phase-II proposals thereafter, so that coordination between the Centre and the state can begin without further delay.
