Municipal administration minister KT Rama Rao on Friday urged defence minister Rajnath Singh to transfer defence lands to the state government for various road development projects in and around Hyderabad.
Saying that the projects were meant to ease traffic congestion on arterial roads, KTR also appealed to the Union minister to expedite excision of civil areas of Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) and its merger with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
Stating that the state government was ready to hand over equal land share to the Centre, he sought defence lands for development of a skywalk at Mehdipatnam, elevated corridor on Rajiv Rahadari (state highway-1), elevated corridor from Paradise junction to Outer Ring Road junction near Kandlakoya on NH-44, link roads under Hyderabad Road Development Corporation Limited and for taking up some road-widening works. “Though there has been no response from the Centre, we have sought their cooperation. We are hopeful of a positive response from the Centre now,” KTR told mediapersons after meeting Rajnath.
The minister said the government proposed the elevated corridor from Paradise junction (near Gymkhana ground) to ORR junction on Hyderabad-Karimnagar-Ramagundam highway for which 94 acres of defence land was required. For the elevated corridor from Paradise to ORR junction near Kandlakoya, 56 acres of defence land was needed, he stressed.
KTR said that Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority took up the construction and development of a skywalk at rythu bazaar in Mehdipatnam as part of the city’s road network and pedestrian movement improvement project. Defence land of approximately 0.20 hectares (0.51 acres) was required to proceed with the works, he pointed out.
KTR said he would be meeting Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday with a request to extend financial assistance for Hyderabad Metro Rail project from Lakdikapul to BHEL and from Nagole to LB Nagar. “The BJP government should come forward to help the state in strengthening public transport in Hyderabad, including the proposed Patancheru-Hayathnagar metro rail project,” he said.