Hyderabad, India (Urban Transport News): The government of Telengana has decided to abandon its ambitious plans to implement the Kukatpally Housing Board (KPHB) Elevated Bus Rapid Transit System (EBRTS) project in Narsingi covering the IT Corridor.
The decision was taken after Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) concessionaire and developer L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited, which is suffering huge financial losses, is now seeking a bailout from the state. Therefore, the government had to stop its EBRTS plans.
The Elevated Bus Rapid Transit System (EBRTS) was initially planned from KPHB to the financial district for about 15 km and later decided to extend it to Narsingi for a distance of 25 km. The estimated cost of the project was Rs 2,400 crores. Initially, it was planned to develop in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
The state government had also prepared the proposals a year ago with Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), the Covid-19 pandemic forced it to put the project on cold bags.
“As the losses of HMR, especially after the pandemic, started in 2020, no private developer will come forward to develop EBRTS now even if the government resumes. The situation is also the same with airport connectivity. The government is not in a position to spend huge sums to do this with its own funds,” a senior official said.
“HMR used to attract passengers between Ameerpet and Rayadurg areas, but after the pandemic many IT companies started to implement work from home for their employees,” an official from the municipal administration department said. , TOI reported.
The central government promotes Metro Neo in various cities of Tire II and Tire III such as Warangal. The advantage of EBRTS is that it does not require any land acquisition as it is on an elevated route and construction is also less expensive compared to metro projects.
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