Telangana Minister K T Rama Rao on Thursday, January 21, sought allocation of over Rs 7,778 crore funds in the upcoming Union Budget for various works taken up under the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department (MAUD) in the state. In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Telangana's Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development Rama Rao said the total costs of the various projects is over Rs 48,634 crore and sought sanctioning of funds of over Rs 7,778 crore.
The projects for which the funds were sought include Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) — i.e. a Metro Neo network along the KPHB - Kokapet - Narsingi corridor in Hyderabad, While the preliminary estimates of the MRTS is Rs 3,050 crore, he requested the Union government to sanction 15% of the project cost (Rs 450 crore). This will be about 30 km long with an expected ridership of 5 lakh by 2030 and will have connectivity with the proposed Airport express at Narsingi and with the existing Metro network at the Financial District.
KTR also requested for funds to be sanctioned for the Warangal Metro-Neo project, amounting to Rs 184 crore, and requested that the Union government to sanction 20% of the project cost.
KTR added the state government has embarked on several initiatives like Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP), Model Corridors Development and Hyderabad Road Development to improve the transport network not only in Hyderabad, but in Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration (HUA). He mentioned that a total of 22 missing link roads were taken up and completed, while another 17 such link roads are at various stages of completion.
Further, to extend the missing link connectivity/improvement and comprehensive development up to Outer Ring Road including the surrounding urban local bodies, a total of 104 additional corridors are identified to take up with an estimated amount of Rs 2,400 crore. These connecting roads are proving to be the lifeline of urban mobility, he said in the letter. He requested the Union government to support the Telangana government by extending a contribution of Rs 800 crore, that is one-third of the project cost.
As per the DPRs for Phase II of SRDP, the estimated cost of various works is Rs 14,000 crore. These include improvement of important roads, construction of flyovers and underpasses for smooth connectivity and widening of important roads and he requested her to provide 10% of the project cost.
Highlighting the need for a stronger sewerage network in Hyderabad, KTR cited the ambitious Comprehensive Sewerage Master Plan (CSMP) taken up by the state government. The plan includes construction of 62 Sewage Treatment Plants at a total estimated cost of Rs 8,684.54 crore and urged the Central government to sanction one-third of the project cost.