City’s massive infra makeover begins with Rs 44 cr underpass

HYDERABAD:Kicking off the new year with a series of projects that the government intends to complete as part of the Strategic Road Development Plan, municipal administration and urban development minister KT Rama Rao inaugurated an underpass between Ayyappa society and Kondapur on Wednesday. The Rs 44 crore underpass is first of the 24 SRDPs to be completed at a total cost of Rs 22,000 crore. About 60 per cent of the entire series of projects is likely to be completed only by 2019, the minister said.  

Rama Rao also clarified that five SRDP projects proposed at the Mindspace-Biodiversity corridor would be ready by December 2018 and would be constructed at a total cost of Rs 379 crore. The next in the pipeline to be inaugurated are the underpass bridge near Mindspace and the Biodiversity flyover, both likely to be completed by March this year.  

At the LB Nagar corridor, seven SRDP’s are planned to be constructed for Rs 448 crore, of which four would be completed by the year-end. The Chintalkunta underpass, in March, would be the first to be completed this year. The minister, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the Central government not giving heed to repeated requests laid by the government to acquire land for SRDP. The places include Defence land in Alwal and surrounding area.    

“There have been repeated exchange of letters and information of what the State government is seeking as per the SRDP. But the central government has not taken a stand, because of which certain projects are delayed,” the minister said.

The delay is likely to threaten the completion of a 111-km long expressway, similar to the PVNR expressway, that the State has ambitiously slotted for opening by March 2019.  “I hope now it’s clear that we are not taking up projects for Ivanka Trump any other dignitaries, but for the people of Hyderabad,” the minister said taking a dig at opposition that had criticised the beautification drive ahead of GES. “Rs 959 crore will be invested in repairing roads in two phases,” he said, adding that the government had plans to extend the PVNR expressway.