Hyderabad Metro expansion stalled while Centre clears Vizag, Vijayawada DPRs

In yet another instance of what Telangana sees as discrimination by the BJP-led Central government, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has approved the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for Metro rail projects in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, while Hyderabad’s Metro expansion proposals continue to remain pending.

MoHUA has reportedly cleared the DPRs for the two Andhra Pradesh cities and forwarded them to the Union Finance Ministry for financial appraisal.

The Andhra Pradesh government has proposed a combined Metro rail network of nearly 84 km in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada at an estimated cost of Rs 21,616 crore. The projects will be implemented under a joint venture model, with the Centre and State



contributing 20 per cent each. The remaining 60 per cent will be raised through loans from financial institutions.

Though the approval of the Andhra Pradesh projects has no direct bearing on Hyderabad Metro, it has renewed questions over the Centre’s delay in clearing the expansion proposals submitted by Telangana. The State government has been waiting for approval for its Metro Phase II plans for a considerable period. The takeover of the existing Metro Phase I by the State government has also been delayed.

Despite repeated requests from the Telangana government, the Central government continues to delay the approvals, citing different reasons. This is leaving the Metro commuters in Hyderabad fuming.