New Delhi June 23
Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister, K.T. Rama Rao, met with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Friday to discuss the transfer of certain defence lands in Hyderabad to the state government. The lands are intended for the development of skyways and other infrastructure projects.
Rama Rao stated that the state government had previously made requests to the Centre for the transfer of lands for the construction of skyways, with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao even meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the issue. However, there has been no response from the Central government, despite changes in Defence Ministers.
The state minister emphasized that the government has been persistently requesting the transfer of defence lands for the construction of skyways between Jubilee Bus Stand and Rajiv Rahdari, as well as between Paradise Circle and Medchal ORR. Rama Rao’s meeting with Rajnath Singh was another attempt to reiterate this request.
He further mentioned that if the Defence Ministry agrees to transfer 96 acres of land for the Jubilee Bus Stand-Rajiv Rahadari skyway and 56 acres for the Paradise Circle-Medchal ORR skyway, the state government is willing to provide alternate lands of equal value.
Rama Rao also highlighted that the state government is currently developing skywalks, with completion achieved in Uppal while the skyway project in Mehdipatnam has been halted due to the Defence Ministry’s lack of permission.
In addition to skyways, the state has requested defence land for a road linking Golconda and Ibrahim Bagh. It has also urged the transfer of unused defence lands in Secunderabad Cantonment to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for the construction of hospitals and community halls.
On Saturday, Rama Rao plans to meet Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to once again seek approval for the extension of the Metro Rail from Lakdi Ka Pul to BHEL and from Nagole to LB Nagar.
Despite multiple submissions of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) by the state government, there has been no response from the Centre. The minister expressed disappointment, stating that while the state government has provided its share of funds for the Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS), there has been no support from the Centre.
Rama Rao also raised concerns about the incomplete work at Rasoolpura under the Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP) due to the Union Home Ministry’s delay in transferring 3-4 acres of land. He expressed a desire to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to address this issue.
The minister urged the Centre to support the state government’s efforts in strengthening the public transport system in Hyderabad and also requested approval for the extension of the Metro Rail from Patancheru to Hayat Nagar.
Highlighting the lack of support from the Centre over the past nine years, Rama Rao indicated that the discriminatory approach may persist. He stated that if there is no change in the Centre’s attitude, the issue will be taken to the people.
He questioned why the Centre could sanction Metro Rail for ten small cities in Uttar Pradesh but could not cooperate with Telangana in extending the Metro in Hyderabad. Rama Rao also raised concerns about the Centre providing flood relief assistance to Gujarat and other BJP-ruled states while neglecting similar aid for Hyderabad during floods.
He reminded the BJP that Telangana has contributed to the development of economically weaker states ruled by the party and urged BJP leaders to acknowledge Telangana’s contributions to national development.
